Torchwood 5
by GoldenAerie
Summary: Jack restores Torchwood. Takes place 3 years after 'Torchwood: Miracle Day'. Jack, Gwen, Rhys, and a whole new crew!
1. The American

It was a typical cool evening in Cardiff. The streets reflected the lights from the city in puddles leftover from a short daytime shower. Cars flourished on the popular roadways. People busied themselves with getting to where they were going and, as a whole, seemed to ignore the slightly cold breeze blowing through the city. The government's new propaganda posters decorated the city with phrases and images meant to keep the citizens vigilant and inclined to trust the government. An American walked past one such poster that seemed reminiscent of an old WWII poster. It featured two friendly cops helping a boy, who wore a big smile. The poster read: "Need Help? Always ask your friendly local police officer!" The American smiled and hurried down the street alone.

The wind gave a quick flutter to the coat collar and the American turned down a narrow single-lane road, heading further away from the crowd of the main street. One block in and the wind turned into a slight growl. The American stopped and glanced around, then continued the trek back to the hotel.

Between the next two buildings, closed up for the evening, came the sound of something being kicked aside, garbage of some sort. The American stopped to listen and clench a fist.

"C'mon, I know a shortcut!" A drunk Welsh girl slurred from behind the American. Two blondes in short dresses and heels stumbled down the narrow road and headed for the first alley the American had passed. One girl said something and the two erupted into laughter. The girls flicked their mobiles, turning on a flashlight app. The low growl was barely heard by American ears, definitely not by the two Welsh girls.

"Damn" The American hissed before going after the two girls. The girls disappeared beyond building, out of sight, encouraging the American to pick up the pace. Shrieks erupted from the girls just as the American entered the dark alley. Brown hair and a dark coat mingled with the shadows. Down the alley, the two girls stood there, holding onto each other and their lit-up mobiles. Fists were pulled out of their warm pockets as the American quietly approached.

The thing out of sight growled at the girls and they shrieked. It must have moved towards them because the girls moved backwards. The American moved closer and then quickly leapt to action, pushing the girls aside and coming face to face with a hideous creature. The drunk girls with their lit mobiles illuminated the narrow alley with just enough light that allowed the American to land the first few punches solidly to the thing's face. The creature growled, barred its teeth, and moved to strike back.

"What is it?!" One of the girls shrieked. A clawed hand struck the American in the side.

"Get out of here!" The American yelled to the girls.

"Where's a friendly policeman?" The other girl asked with a whiney tone. The American ducked a swinging arm and stepped in to land punches to the creatures kidneys, if it had any.

"We should youtube this" One of the girls said. The light in the alley dimmed.

"Bitch, who are you?" The other girl asked. The American didn't reply. The creature bared it's teeth again and gnashed at the air.

"Get out of here" A man ordered from the shadows of the alley. The two drunk girls heard the click of a gun and the flash of metal as the man stepped into the light.

"Oh shit! He's got a gun!" One of the girls shrieked.

"Go! NOW!" The man yelled. The two girls ran off as quickly as their drunken legs could carry them. The man flipped on a flashlight. He was all too familiar with the creature which was now pinned to the ground by a brunette in navy trousers. "Hold it still."

"Who are you?" The woman asked. The creature dug a hand into the side that was already scratched up, making the woman cry out. There was a pop sound and the creature slowly stilled.

"You're safe" The man said holstering his gun and offering the brunette a hand. She stood with a groan.

"What is that thing?" The woman asked.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you" The man replied with a handsome smile. He looked the woman up and down. She had on navy trousers and a dark plaid jacket. Her hair was messy now, but was still mostly up in a retro hairdo. "Very 1940s, I like."

"It sliced me open a little" The woman said turning into the light to look at her side. Her jacket was torn and after touching the wound her hand was bloody. "Fuck."

"I need to get this thing loaded up" The man said, obviously returning to business. He bent down and started tethering the creature's hands and feet together. The woman watched him put a mask over the creature's head like a muzzle.

It didn't take long for the two of them to move the creature down the alley to a white unmarked van. The back of the van was separated from the front by metal mesh. The man shut the van doors and flashed a smile at the woman, as if they had just completed the most normal task.

"Thanks, it would have been a hassle to do it myself" The man said.

"You're welcome" The woman said softly. She looked around at the building's back lot. It was empty, except for a dumpster and a privately marked entrance to a main street. "What is that thing?"

"It's called a weevil" The man said. His smile never faded once.

"But, what is it?" The woman asked again. Her side felt as if it were on fire. "Would you drive me to my hotel? I need to doctor my side."

"I need to take care of our ugly friend here first, but sure, after that we can go to your hotel" The smile remained and the women rolled her eyes.

The woman pushed herself away from the van, heading for the alley. "I'll walk, thanks."

"Oh come on" The man said. The smile had reached his voice. "I'm just kidding."

The woman stopped, turned around, and studied the man as he moved around the van and got in. He struck her as being someone who knew too much. He rolled the passenger window down.

"Are you coming? That tranquilizer I shot our friend with is going to wear off soon" The man said. The woman took a deep breath and climbed into van. The man smiled even more and started the van. "Captain Jack Harkness."

"Jessie Butler" The woman replied.

The van pulled up to a small warehouse in a not-so-ideal part of town. The sign above the building read 'Seingalt', but nothing regarding the type of business. Captain Jack Harkness had kept quiet for the van ride, until the garage door opened.

"Home sweet home" Jack said. They pulled in and Jack promptly got out. Their cargo had stirred during the trip, but was still out. Jack opened the back of the van and began hauling the weevil out. "Let's get this thing downstairs, then I can tend to your side."

"I have questions" Jessie said. The blood stain on her side was forming a dark stain that had only grown during the car ride. She ignored it and grabbed onto the creature to steady it.

"Get the feet" Jack said. He grabbed the weevil by it's upper body and they began to move towards a heavy fire door. "I'm sure I have answers for you. What are you doing in Cardiff?"

"What are YOU doing in Cardiff?" Jessie asked him. "It seems like you live here. You have a van, a warehouse…"

"I spend time here" Jack replied. "You?"

"Vacation" Jessie replied. They navigated the stairs down to another heavy fire door. Jack pressed buttons on the locking system and shifted the weevil so he could press his hand to the scanner. The door buzzed and they made their way inside.

"Brian?" Jack yelled out. There was noise from somewhere in the basement level, which looked full of offices. A small man came around the hallway.

"You're back" Brian said. "Looks like you got another one."

"Open a cell" Jack ordered. The small man hurried ahead of them and keyed in a code on a lock pad. The short man held the heavy door open for the two as they carried in the weevil. Jack bent down and cut off the restraints.

"What are you going to do with it?" Jessie asked watching the weevil from the hallway through heavy, reinforced glass. The door locked with a heavy thud and a locking click.

"Study it" Brian said. He stood on his tiptoes to peer through the window. He was a dwarf, standing only 4'8" tall, but he was nicely dressed and had a handsome face. "I'm Dr. Brian March."

"Jessie Butler" Jessie said shaking his hand.

* * *

"I'm going to fix her up, then send her on her way" Jack said with a small smile. Jessie looked between the two men.

"Isn't he the doctor?" Jessie asked.

"Not that kind of doctor" Brian replied. Jack led Jessie down a side hallway and pulled her into an office that had been turned into a small medical lab. The overhead light was annoyingly bright. Jack tapped the medical table and began opening cabinets.

"So, you're a Captain doing a doctor's job and he's a doctor without medical knowledge?" Jessie asked.

"Yep" Jack said putting a few items onto a tray. He turned around and set the tray onto a small trolley. Jessie slowly unbuttoned her coat and tried pulling it off. "You're one of those rockabilly girls, aren't you?" He pulled off his big trench coat and tossed it onto a chair. "You have some style. I like it. Reminds me of my time during the war." Jack helped her with her coat and then looked at the wound. "That shirt is in the way and your trousers are too high."

"What do you do here?" Jessie asked undoing her short-sleeved button up shirt and shifting to unzip her trousers.

"Think of us as 'high security'" Jack said. He retrieved a bowl of hot water and a stack of washcloths. He eyed the girl before getting started. She had tattoos on both arms and she appeared to be fairly muscular. Her breasts stood pointed out in an old style bullet bra. "Quite the figure. Why were you alone?"

He started by cleaning the wound and was surprised at the nastiness of it. Jessie laid back on the table and held onto her shirt and trousers, keeping them out of the way.

"I was going back to my hotel" Jessie answered. "How's it looking?"

"Its worse than I thought, but not life threatening" Jack said. He opened a bottle and poured it onto a washcloth, then pressed it to the wound. The stinging sensation was surprising and harsh. Jessie cried out and Jack held her down with his free hand. "Sorry. No, what I meant was, why were you alone? Don't you have friends, boyfriend, girlfriend, something?"

"No" Jessie said between clenched teeth. "Oh god, that hurts."

"Almost done" Jack replied. "It will keep the wound clean." Relief washed over the brunette when the washcloth was removed. Jack leaned over and gently blew on the wound, causing Jessie to flinch. "You're going to need some stitches."

"Stitches?" Jessie repeated.

"That thing took a chomp out of you" Jack said. Her knuckles were white as she clenched her clothing. "How did you do it? Why did you do it? You could have just kept walking down the road. How did you manage to get one up on that weevil?"

"I couldn't just let something bad happen to those two half-wits" Jessie said. She looked over at Jack. "Besides, I'm good at fighting."

"For being so short, you're amazing" Jack said with a smile. Jessie was a short 5'3", nearly a full head taller than Jack's little friend.

"That creature was not the easiest thing to fight with" Jessie muttered. She looked away as Jack threaded a needle. Her torso flinched when he spread a topical agent for numbing.

"Okay" Jack said in a calming tone. "So no boyfriend?"

"No" Jessie replied staring intently at the white wall.

"You travel internationally alone?" Jack asked. He got started with the stitches. "That's a bit risky in this day and age."

"Only if you fear terrorists and stuff" Jessie replied.

"What do you do for a living, Jessie Butler?" Jack asked.

"I'm a writer" Jessie replied. The needle didn't hurt too much, but Jessie remained stiff and nervous.

"Relax" Jack urged. "What do you write?"

"Novels mostly. The occasional freelance article" Jessie said. Jack tied two more stitches and then trimmed up his work.

"Almost done" Jack announced. He swabbed a yellowish solution of iodine over the area before covering it up with a sterile gauze pad and a bandage. "There. You should be as good as new."

Jessie's grip on her shirt was slow to let go, almost as if her fingers were stuck in the position. Jack took her hand and gently smoothed out her fingers.

"Sit up" Jack said helping her up. "I have a shirt you can wear."

"I'll be fine" Jessie said with a slight choke. "Can you take me back to my hotel now?"

"Your shirt is ruined, you know" Jack said pulling her shirt around her. Jack was definitely in her personal space. Her fingers found her shirt buttons and she tried brushing Jack's hands away. Instead, one of Jack's hands reached up and lightly brushed a strand of hair from her face. Confusion crossed over Jessie's face and she flinched, her brow furrowed. She pushed Jack from her with a strong shove and stepped around the medical bed.

"I don't do that" Jessie snapped. Her fingers buttoned up her shirt and zipped up her trousers.

"Sorry" Jack said. Jessie pulled her jacket on.

"Just...just do as you promised and take me to my hotel, please" Jessie replied. Jack pulled his coat on slowly, maintaining eye contact with Jessie.

"I didn't mean anything by it" Jack said apologetically. "How about we grab some painkillers to help you with your side and then we go?"

"Fine" Jessie replied shortly.

* * *

"I'm crashing from the adrenaline" Jessie said as they pulled up to the small hotel she was staying at.

"Probably best to get to sleep and take it easy with your side" Jack suggested.

"Right, sleep" Jessie said undoing her seat belt. She looked Jack over and nodded, as if agreeing with something. "You're an interesting man, Captain." Jack gave her a big smile. "I'm going to see you again."

"Oh yeah?" Jack said. "How do you know?"

Jessie cocked her head to the side and shrugged. "I don't know, but I know I'm right."

Jessie opened the door and stepped out from the van. "Have a good vacation, Miss Butler."

"See you later, Captain Harkness" Jessie said. She shut the door and hurried inside the hotel.


	2. Seingalt

Jessie sat at a table outside of a cafe. The morning sun was shining in her face and she was enjoying her dry cappuccino. Her notebook was under right hand and she was completely confused. She woke up in bed, in her pajamas, but with no recollection of how she got there. What's worse is that she found stitches in her side that were bandaged up. Her notebook was her only salvation. There were two quick sketches and a few notes, written by her last night.

Had she been drinking? She had stopped drinking years ago when it had started to become a problem. What had she done the night before?

She was wearing cuffed denim jeans and a fitted striped t-shirt. Her hair was in a bun on her head, a big barrel roll was perched at the front of her head, and a bandana with pink hearts was wrapped around her hair. A waiter brought out her order of eggs and pan-fried veggies. As soon as he left, she opened her notebook back up. There were two handsome men with the names The Captain and The Doctor underneath them, and there were two sketches of some horrible creature with big, sharp teeth. The few notes that she left herself read: "The creature took a bite out of my side. Captain Harkness fixed me up. Gave me something, making me feel weird and tired. Seingalt warehouse. North? Van."

Jessie dug into her breakfast and glanced around. There had been service vans that had passed by. Is that what she had meant? She looked at the sketches she had drawn. They weren't terribly detailed and looked akin to comic book characters. The Captain was drawn with a strong jawline, a cleft chin, short dark hair, and a smile. The Doctor was drawn with wavy hair and square jaw with a short goatee.

Jessie finished her breakfast and cappuccino before heading out to wander around the city.

* * *

By 10am, Jessie was at the harbor. She was leaning against the railing, watching the boats and the water. She had a purse-size travel bag slung over her shoulders. She looked behind her at the opera house and the fountain. A few years back, there had been some kind of explosion around this area. The papers had claimed it the act of terrorists with the focal point being the fountain. It now stood there again, but with a large memorial plaque. She had browsed through a half dozen stores, not finding anything that grabbed her fancy. She had even taken a few photos of the fountain with her phone.

"What a view" A man said. She glanced over and saw a man leaning against the railing. He was handsome and flashed her a dashing smile.

"It's a nice day to be out on the water" Jessie replied.

"Why aren't you out there?" The man asked. Jessie shrugged. The man looked familiar. "You're American."

"So are you" Jessie said. The man smiled even more and that smile triggered something in Jessie's mind. "Have we met?"

"I don't think so" The man said. Jessie fumbled with her bag and pulled out her notebook. The man's smile fell. He looked like one of her sketches. "What's that?"

"Are you Captain Harkness?" Jessie asked pointing to the sketch.

"I'm just out here picking up a few things" The man said taking a step back. The notebook was turned towards the handsome man briefly. "Not a bad likeness. I didn't realize you were an artist too."

"It is you" Jessie confirmed. She shoved the notebook back into her bag and stepped towards the man. "You are the Captain." Jack took another step back. "How do I know you? What happened last night? Did you roofie me?"

"No. Nothing happened. I just helped stitch you up" Jack replied. Jessie's brow furrowed and her fingers tapped on her lips.

"You were in the van" Jessie said. A few images drifted back into her mind. Jack smirked.

"You must have a pretty good memory" Jack said.

"Eidetic" Jessie said. Jack smiled and nodded.

"That would explain it" Jack said under his breath. "How's your side?" The woman before him simply crossed her arms. "Well...I guess I'll see you later. I have some things to get."

Jack turned and headed for a small door somewhat hidden away at the side of the pier. Jessie watched him pull a gun-shaped thing from his pocket and insert it into a deadlock. Jack disappeared inside and Jessie couldn't help but follow him.

Beyond the door was a small space full of rubble and a dull overhead light illuminated the room. Everything looked grey. Most of a counter stood opposite the door and a few tourist brochures were still in plastic holders on the wall. The captain had gone somewhere.

"Weird" Jessie said to herself. She picked up a brochure that had a train on the cover. "Captain Harkness?"

There was a noise somewhere from beyond the walls. The brochure was dropped onto the rubble. Jessie moved to the nearest wall and tried to listen. There was definitely a noise from somewhere. It wasn't from behind the wall. A sliver of light caught her eye and Jessie stepped over some rubble to what looked to be a bookcase. She pushed on it and it gave way easier than she expected to a landing and emergency stairs. They looked fairly new and the narrow shaft resembled a very large air shaft or something.

"Captain?" Jessie called out. Her voice echoed back. She stretched her head side to side before hurrying down the stairs.

* * *

"Took you long enough" Jack said when he heard the door scrape along the floor as it opened. He turned to watch the woman as she stepped over the rubble and looked around the ill-lit room. The main room had a very high ceiling. "It used to be….well, it just used to be."

"What happened?" Jessie asked. She bent down and pulled a heavy-duty plastic case from the rubble. It had a sticker that claimed it as Torchwood property. "Torchwood?"

"Big explosion" Jack said quietly. Jessie opened the case and found a boxy instrument with an attached probe.

"This doesn't look damaged" Jessie said. Jack squatted next to her to have a quick look. It was a device that not only measured particulates in the air, but analyzed the composition of the particulates.

"We'll take it with us" Jack said. He watched Jessie shut the case and noticed the goosebumps along her arms. "Are you cold?"

"Cold, excited, anxious, intrigued…" Jessie said moving the case to a clear-ish spot. She stood up and wiped her hands on her pants. "A little of everything. What are we looking for, Mysterioso?"

"Whatever is salvageable" Jack replied. His voice was touched by sadness. He stood up with a piece of something in his hands.

"What did you give me last night? How did I forget things?" Jessie asked.

"I didn't think you would want to have your vacation ruined by last night" Jack said simply. His guest of his former workplace and home didn't looked appeased by his answer. "I gave you a pill of my own design that provides temporary amnesia."

Jessie stepped up close to Jack and poked him in the chest. "Never. Ever. Do that again." She took a breath of the musty air before continuing. "Tell me a story Captain and, before you begin, let me assure you that adventure, mystery, and intrigue are not good reasons to pass out 'amnesia pills'. I'm interested, but I want some details."

"That's a lot to ask for" Jack said softly while gently catching one of Jessie's hands. She gestured while talking and it made Jack miss those he had lost. "Remember a few years ago when no one could die? Or how about the time cybermen were all over the place? Or when some of the population found the highest nearest locations, ready to leap to their demise?"

"I don't live under a rock. I remember" Jessie said giving a little tug on her hand. Jack didn't release it and she clenched her jaw instead. "Were those incidents because of you, Captain?"

"No" Jack said. "My team, we helped stopped things, very bad things, from happening."

"Why did you bother to approach me today?" Jessie asked. Jack gave her a small smile.

"I never pass up talking to a beautiful woman" Jack replied. He loosened his grip on her hand and was amused that she let it linger. "Besides, I wanted to make sure that you really had forgotten."

"What happened to your team, Captain?" Jessie asked. She didn't look around the room; she just kept looking into his baby blue eyes.

"Some of them are still alive" Jack answered. "They would tell you that I'm dangerous. Things happen when I'm around."

"It's a shame" Jessie mused. Jack raised an eyebrow. "My time here is limited."

"Your vacation" Jack said. "That's easily changed."

Jessie smiled and stepped away from Jack, looking everywhere but at him. He made it sound easy to just change things. Jack watched as the short woman maneuvered through the main level, over towards the work stations.

"So your coat, that's like an RAF coat isn't it?" Jessie asked. She reached a computer station and looked things over. The monitors were broken, the tower dented, and various odds and ends were scattered about.

"Not like, it IS an RAF coat" Jack replied. He moved around the drainage gully, towards the old armory.

"I found something" Jessie called out. The item in hand was a handheld device that looked oddly like something from _Star Trek_. "I don't know what it is."

"Set it aside" Jack called out. "Find more stuff! You're doing great!"

Jessie moved around, sorting through stuff that was mostly damaged. She found a round room with medical equipment that was almost entirely intact. By the time Jack emerged from the other side of the hub, Jessie had a collection of items set aside.

"I don't think it would take much to get this place back up and running" Jessie said. Her face had a dirt smudge on it and her pants had dust imprints where she had leaned up against something. Jack was carrying a bag long enough to hold hockey sticks. "Find what you were looking for?"

"There is a lot I've been looking for" Jack replied. He looked at what she had collected. "This was all undamaged?"

"Yep" Jessie replied. "From what I can gather, whatever exploded-"

"Me" Jack said quietly.

"-Yeah. It happened here in the center of the room" Jessie said. She pointed to the round medical area. "That medical area is singed, but pretty much intact. I think there is probably a lot that I've missed, but it's only been what? 10, maybe 15 minutes?"

"I have that new facility to fill now" Jack said. He picked up as much as he could carry and looked at Jessie, who followed his example.

* * *

The sun seemed harsh and overly bright after their stint in the cavernous underground lair. It was strange that nobody even really paid much attention to them, at least Jessie thought so. They loaded up the white van. It felt like deja vu to Jessie and she wondered what they have done last night to warrant the feeling. She handed the last few things to Jack and let him load them into the van.

"Isn't this an unnecessary risk for you?" Jack asked when he got into the van. Jessie was strapped into the passenger side. She replied by hitting the door lock and he chuckled. "I have a feeling that you're going to be a pain in my ass, Butler."

* * *

They unloaded the van at the Seingalt warehouse, dumping all the items in one of the many empty offices. Jack opened things up and sorted through them, the majority being medical.

"What is this thing?" Jessie asked holding up a strange rectangle device. Jack glanced at it.

"One of Tosh's favorites" Jack said. "You can hold it to just about anything and it instantly scans it, wireless information transfer to most computers. There's more to it, but that's it in a nutshell."

"Where did you get it?" Jessie asked.

"It fell through the rift" Jack replied. "There is a rift in time and space that happens to fall in Cardiff."

"Okay" Jessie said accepting his answer without question. Jack put down the cylindrical item he had in his hands and moved over to Jessie, positioned so he was half-perched on the table.

"You know, you're taking this exceptionally well" Jack stated. "Most people would be running for the hills."

"I'm not most people" Jessie said with a smile. "I'm a writer."

"How much do you know about aliens and alien technology?" Jack asked.

"Not much" Jessie replied. "I mean, I read books, I read comics." Jack laughed. "You know, maybe you should back up a little, Captain Conundrum. What's your name? Do I just call you Captain?"

"Captain Jack Harkness, you had it right earlier" Jack said with his usual grin. "You can call me Jack, or Captain if you prefer it."

"Well, Jack, I found something else that is not on the table here" Jessie said plunging a hand into her denim pocket. She touched his hand with her free hand and put the small object from her pocket onto his palm. It was a small flash drive labeled 'Database 1'. "I found it in a storage box. I thought it might be important."

Jack's face fell to a blank look and he stilled for a moment. Database 1. He thought he had lost everything. Without warning, he scooped up the petite woman into a bear hug.

"This is a sign" Jack announced, letting her go. "You don't know how much this means to me." He moved towards the door. "We will get your paperwork in order. You're on the team."

"Paperwork?" Jessie asked. She followed him out the door. "What team?"

"The new Torchwood" Jack said hurrying down the hall. "Brian!"

Jack was almost in a run as he wove through the hallways to a large concrete open space. He approached a dwarf who was in the middle of soldering something together. Classic rock was playing lightly over his computer speakers.

"Brian!" Jack called out. He presented the dwarf with the flash drive. "She found 'Database 1' from the Hub."

The dwarf, Brian, looked at Jessie, then at Jack, and then took the flash drive. "I thought you retconned her."

"I did, but it didn't quite work" Jack said. "What do you think? It doesn't look damaged to me."

"I'll get it uploaded to the system" Brian said. "Nice to see you again, Miss Butler."

"You're the doctor" Jessie said. Brian gave her a smile.

"I am a doctor" Brian replied. He waited a moment, seeing if she remembered his name. "Dr. Brian March. Before you ask, my doctorate is in physics."

He scooted his chair back and plugged the flash drive into his computer. He touched his tie knot absently and opened the drive, then saved the information to his computer.

"I think everything on here is good" Brian replied. "I'll go through it."

"Yes!" Jack said with a smile. "It has files on equipment and people, right?"

"I'm not sure" Brian replied.

"I think there was more" Jessie said. "We should go back and look around."

"It will have to wait" Jack replied. Brian started opening the files from the flash drive. Jack placed a hand on Jessie's shoulder and started leading her back towards the offices. "Come with me, Butler. I want to introduce you to the rest of the team."

* * *

Before Jessie stood a green-skinned reptilian woman in jeans and a t-shirt, and a tall man with long dark hair. Jack had introduced them as Ritha and Dr. Cole Young.

"Ritha handles most of the tech around here" Jack said. "Cole here is the medical doctor."

"Did you fix me up last night?" Jessie asked. Cole looked at Jack questioningly.

"No. You were here?" Cole asked. He had the look and voice of a gothy vampire, black clothes and off-putting jewelry included.

"I tended to you" Jack replied. "Cole and Ritha were busy last night."

"How did you land this job?" Ritha asked. Jessie looked up at Jack, who just smiled.

"I found her taking on a weevil, barehanded" Jack said. He slid a hand around her waist. "She's not remembering everything yet."

"Does she know how much of a flirt you are, Jack?" Ritha asked with a smirk.

"No spoilers, Ritha" Jack said with a chuckle. He pulled his hand back and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Did he mention the dangers of the job?" Cole asked. He flick his hair back.

"Job. You keep saying that" Jessie said with an unsure smile.

"Oh my god" Ritha said getting up from the chair she was in. She shuffled through some papers and shook her shiny scaly head. She was beautifully green.

"We still haven't hammered out the details yet" Jack replied.

"Well let us know when you're done 'hammering', Jack" Cole quipped. Jack rolled his eyes and ushered Jessie out of Ritha's office.

"Don't mind them" Jack said once they were out of earshot. "They're just antsy. We are between work right now."

"Is this supposed to be a job? I haven't agreed to anything yet" Jessie said. Jack opened a door and led Jessie to a sub-basement. "How many levels are there?"

"I want you" Jack said once they entered his office, which seemed to be the majority of the sub-basement. "I think you would make a great addition to the team. You took on a weevil barehanded, without an ounce of fear. You're smart. You have a good vibe."

"I-You're offering me a-a job?" Jessie asked. Jack tossed his coat onto a coat rack and leaned against his desk.

"If you want it, it's yours" Jack said.

"But?" Jessie asked. Jack smiled and gripped his desk.

"I can't let you leave until you make a decision" Jack replied. He watched the woman sit down in one of the office chairs and stare at a stack of files on his desk. She reached up and undid the heart-covered bandana on her head, then the bun her hair was in. Her hair fell down past her shoulders and she massaged her scalp before resting her hands in her lap. "Are you alright?"

"What are we talking about here? Give me a rundown. Sell it to me, Jack" Jessie said softly. Jack gave her a look that said it was beneath him, but he understood.

"We save the world. We have some anonymous sponsors that will ensure that we all get paid handsomely" Jack said. "You can still write your books." He paused, watching her for a reaction. Her left eye twitched and her lips went flat. "I can take care of any paperwork so you're legal to work here, AND you get to see this handsome face every day." Her brows flicked upwards in amusement. "Is there something else that would sweeten the pot?"

Jessie's eye went from the stack of files on the desk up to the smiling man's face. She shook her head 'no'.

"I suppose I should look for housing" Jessie finally said. Jack's smile widened and he moved around his desk. He opened a drawer and fingered through some files until he pulled out an information packet.

"Fill it out and get it back to me" Jack said. The packet was thick.

"You're lucky I'm single" Jessie mused flipping through the pages.

"Why is that?" Jack asked.

"Moving and taking on a job at a whim? That's not something most people would do" Jessie replied. She pulled a pen from her bag and started filling out the packet.


	3. Recovering Data

In the shared office kitchen, a bland room of light wood, white walls, and slate blue counter tops, the coffee pot churned and gurgled, dribbling out coffee into the glass pot. Ritha and Cole were in the midst of preparing their mugs with sugar and cream. Brian was pouring dressing over his salad. Jack had two slices of bread on a plate, a jar of jam, and a jar of peanut butter.

"I think she is going to surprise you guys" Jack said.

"She seems rather clueless" Cole muttered.

"Right, like you were any more knowledgeable before I found you" Jack said. He had a butter knife in one hand and the open jar of peanut butter in the other, but had yet to put any peanut butter on his bread.

"She has a nice set of tits" Brian remarked casually. He returned the dressing to the office fridge and started stirring his salad, to spread the dressing around.

"Her lips were quite red. I hope that was just lipstick" Ritha said.

"It was lipstick" Cole replied. Ritha smiled, happy that she had recognized such an earthly beauty product.

"You said that she's a writer?" Brian asked.

"Yeah. She writes novels, thrillers mostly" Jack replied. He finally spread peanut butter on his bread. "She's been on the best seller list twice."

"Maybe she can help with the paperwork" Brian said. "Can she use a copier?"

"She has three degrees" Jack said with a smile. Brian raised an eyebrow and began eating his salad. "She double-majored in art and English, then went back for a degree in history."

"Oh good, a liberal arts specialist" Brian replied with a firm eye roll. "That will help us out with all the math and science and alien tech."

"She has gumption" Jack stated.

"Where is she now?" Ritha asked.

"I put a tracking chip on her. She's finishing out her vacation, looking for a place, and then she'll be here" Jack replied.

"She's probably running now" Cole said while flicking his hair. The coffee pot clicked twice and Ritha poured coffee into her cup and into Cole's. Jack put the lid onto the peanut butter and opened the jam. He fished some out and spread it onto the bare slice of bread.

"We're establishing trust" Jack replied. He gave a slight snort and finished making his sandwich. "I expect you all to at least be cordial when she's here. Maybe try not being complete dicks until day two."

"I'm not a dick. I'm Khamai" Ritha replied. He took his sandwich and left the kitchen.

* * *

"Can I give you a lift?" Jack called out from a black SUV. It wasn't new, but it was sharper than the white van. Jessie stopped walking and got into the vehicle.

"Hey Jack" Jessie said. Jack pulled into the flow of traffic.

"Where are you headed?" Jack asked. A week had passed and Jack had kept tabs on the American. Today, Jessie was in a peach colored dress and wore her hair down.

"I don't know" Jessie replied. "Just out wandering around this morning." Jack nodded. "What are you up to this morning?"

"I wanted to check in with you" Jack said. "I know you have three more days of your vacation. Did you find a place to stay?"

"Yes" Jessie said. "We should find a cup of coffee. A good cup of coffee."

"I know a little place" Jack said. "You listed 'serial killers' as an interest on your paperwork." Jessie said nothing. "That's a little weird."

"They're interesting" Jessie said. "That's all. I'd worry more if I had written 'serial killing' instead."

"Where are you going to be staying?" Jack asked. Jessie just smiled at him. "I'll find out sooner or later."

"Then have it be later" Jessie replied. Jack looked disapprovingly at her. "I barely know you and I'm a private person. You cannot expect me to just give you undying trust and friendship, just right off. I will work with you, I will fight for you, but I need my space."

They turned a corner and Jack immediately pulled over. He stepped out of the SUV and hurried around to the passenger side. Jessie stood there and followed him as soon as he hit the sidewalk.

"This place down here is a little tucked away, but it's delightful" Jack said. They went into a little bistro and found a quiet booth. They ordered two cappuccinos and pastries. As soon as they were alone Jack leaned forward, his countenance shifting. "If we're going to work together, you have to realize that I'm the one on your side. The others don't trust you yet, though Brian was right about one thing."

"What's that?" Jessie asked.

"You have a nice rack" Jack replied with a grin. Jessie rolled her eyes. A petite woman with big boobs was no stranger to comments and jokes.

"Aren't you supposed to be my boss?" Jessie asked.

"Not for another few days" Jack said with a smirk. The waiter brought their coffee and pastries, leaving them to get back to their conversation. "How's your vacation been?"

"I've seen a lot of Cardiff and I actually found something for you" Jessie replied. She opened her purse, fished around, and pulled out piece of paper that was folded on itself a few times. "Here you go."

Jack took a sip of his cappuccino before taking the wad of paper. He opened it up and found himself staring at a disc the size of a quarter. It almost looked like a quarter. Jack looked up at Jessie. It was the tracking device.

"I couldn't have you leaving" Jack replied. They sat there in silence, sipping their coffee and picking at their pastries until the silence was nearly unbearable.

"I hate that you picked this place" Jessie finally said. She picked up her pastry and took a big bite. "Pastries are my favorite and I've been trying so hard to stay trim."

"You're perfectly trim" Jack replied. He joined her in shoving his pastry into his mouth. "They are really good." He wiped crumbs from the corner of his mouth. "What have you been doing over the last few days?"

"Visiting museums, art galleries, getting my bearings" Jessie replied.

"So not traveling around the city on the bus system" Jack said. He looked at the tracking device and slipped it into his pocket. "This isn't the only way to keep track of you, but it's the easiest."

"If you knew, why didn't you come to me earlier?" Jessie asked.

"Would we have ended up here?" Jack asked. "A little coffee date?"

"It's not a date" Jessie countered. "Both parties have to be aware that it's a date for it to be a date."

"You're aware now" Jack replied. Jessie shook her head and furrowed her brow.

"That's not how it's supposed to work" Jessie argued. A strange look crossed Jack's face and he sat back.

"I'm just messing with you" Jack said lightening the mood. He finished his pastry and his coffee. "I should confess that I am not just here to check up on you. I'm here to ask you to cut your vacation a little early."

"What's going on?" Jessie asked.

"Just a little recon work with me" Jack replied. "We picked up a trace of alien tech just outside of town. I thought you might be interested in some easy work, ease into everything."

"I really don't have any plans today" Jessie said. Jack smiled. That was exactly what he wanted to hear.

* * *

The woods were thick with underbrush and Jessie felt something leave yet another scratch on her bare legs. Jack was up ahead, following the directions on some device he had pulled from his coat pocket. He let go of a branch and it caught Jessie in the face. He had her carry a duffle bag with a variety of supplies. It was catching on everything.

"I should have worn pants" Jessie muttered.

"This way" Jack said climbing over a tree. He stopped and extended a hand to help Jessie over the tree.

"Thanks" Jessie said. They continued moving through the woods.

"Why did you choose April to vacation? Why Cardiff?" Jack asked.

"I spent a week in Scotland and a week in London. I spent a few days down in Cornwall before coming up here" Jessie said. "As for the timing, I finally had the time. I have two books in with the publisher. I thought I deserved a vacation."

"Two books? That seems like a lot of work" Jack said. He stopped and altered their course.

"I just wrote one right after the other" Jessie replied. "I couldn't get them written fast enough."

"There it is" Jack said stopping. Through the trees, nestled at the base of a tree and under a heavy branch, was a half melted triangle nearly two yards across.

"What is it?" Jessie asked. She picked up a stick and poked at the hunk of metal. It was still steaming from its descent. Jack crouched down and looked at the alien writing stamped into the metal.

"Looks like a probe or something" Jack said. Jessie pointed to the writing.

"Have you ever seen that before?" Jessie asked. "It looks like ancient Sumerian, but a little different."

"It almost looks Axonic"Jack said.

"Axonic?" Jessie repeated.

"We need to get this out of here" Jack said. He reached for the bag and opened it up. He pulled out a pair of heavy gloves and some rope. "We can drag it back to the SUV. Look for another pair of gloves in there."

Even with the gloves on, Jack could feel the heat coming from the craft. He hurried to get the rope around the triangle. He tossed the rope over the side and was joined by Jessie, who helped him secure it.

"Careful, this thing is hot" Jack said. He tied the final knot and pulled on the rope. The craft was heavy and came crashing down on the ground. "Grab the duffel bag and give me a hand."

They each held onto the rope and slowly pulled it back through the woods to the SUV. It caught on small trees, brush, stumps, rocks, and getting around the fallen tree was even more of a pain.

"I can understand why you wanted help with this" Jessie said as she gave the craft a lifting tug to get it over a stump.

"At least we can see the vehicle from here" Jack said. He dropped his rope. "I'll go put the duffel in the vehicle. Be right back."

Jessie was thankful for the brief break. Jack tossed the bag in the back seat and put his coat on top of it. He hurried back and they managed to maneuver the triangle to the rear of the SUV, angle it upwards, and then slide it in. The door barely clicked into place and the back window had to be left open.

"We did it" Jack said with relief.

"It was surprisingly heavy" Jessie commented. She looked down, disgusted at her appearance. "I'm sweaty and my legs are bleeding."

"Lets drop this thing off. You can get cleaned up at the warehouse" Jack said. They took their time getting back to the warehouse, relieved that they didn't have to drag it back. "You're pretty strong. I'm guessing that this thing weighs close to 400 lbs."

"I've done a bit of weight-lifting" Jessie replied. "My deadlift is up to 253 lbs for 3 rep max."

"Not bad" Jack said. They pulled onto the highway. "I once dated a bodybuilder. He turned out to be terrible in bed, so things didn't work out."

"He?" Jessie asked. Jack smiled and winked at her.

"Acrobats are interesting in bed" Jack mused. "You ever dated someone in the circus arts?"

"Nope" Jessie replied. "I don't bother with that stuff anymore."

Jack laughed until he noticed that she was serious. "Really? That's...really?"

"Yeah, no. I don't-I mean it's a real hassle and a waste of time, isn't it?" Jessie said resting back in her seat.

"Have you ever tried dating women?" Jack asked.

"I've messed around a bit, but I just haven't found any worth my time - man or woman" Jessie replied.

"How long has it been? A few months?" Jack asked. Jessie shrugged and looked out the window. "I suppose that's why you come off as nervous, like when I touched your hand."

"I'm not nervous" Jessie said quickly. "I just don't know how to react to that." Her fingers twitched and she ended up scratching her leg in a spot that had dried blood. "4 years and 8 months."

"What?" Jack asked. His jaw hung open. "Don't say it."

"The last time for anything" Jessie muttered. Jack shook his head. "I've written twelve books in that time, so it all works out. I never would have done that if I had some kind of relationship drama going on."

"Well, I suppose there's some kind of give and take" Jack muttered. They fell silent. Jack's mouth would fall open as he tried considering the length of time and he would shake his head to try to get his mind to wander away from the topic. Jessie just watched the landscape, hoping that they would be at the warehouse soon. It was a huge relief to both of them when they pulled into the warehouse. Jack had called Brian and the others were waiting for them in the garage, ready to unload the triangle.

"It's heavy" Jack said as he got out of the SUV. They all helped unload it and carry it downstairs. Brian hurried ahead to get the doors. They moaned and groaned as they carried it into the basement shop.

"Gentle" Brian called out as the others set down the triangle. "Look at that."

"It looks Axonic to me" Jack said.

Ritha knelt down and looked at the writing. "I think you're right. It looks like it says 'OM Probe 2215'."

"Axonic?" Brian asked. Ritha began sharing her minimal knowledge of the Axon people. Jack stepped aside with Jessie and led her to the small medical room they had use the night before. Jack wet a washcloth with warm water and handed it to Jessie.

"I think I promised you the opportunity to get cleaned up" Jack said. Jessie began cleaning her legs. Most of the scratches were just that.

"Am I bleeding on the back of my leg there?" Jessie asked trying to look at the back of her leg, just above the knee.

"Looks like a deep scratch" Jack said. He rifled through a cabinet and retrieved a large bandaid. He knelt down and applied it. "Almost 5 years?" He stood up with a look of disbelief on his face. "You're sure?"

"Pretty sure" Jessie said under her breath.

"That's downright tragic" Jack replied. His mouth twitched. "I won't mention it again. I can lend you some clean clothes if you want."

"Can you just take me back to my hotel?" Jessie asked. "That's where my clothes are."

"Sure" Jack said.

"What about you?" Jessie asked. "Did you get cut up?"

"No" Jack replied. "Just a little sweaty and probably in need of a clean shirt." He stepped around her. "As a company policy, we generally don't allow skirts or dresses, unless there is a call for undercover work or something. I mean, don't get me wrong, you look great, but it's more of a practicality issue."

"I can dress for the job" Jessie insisted. She followed him down to the sub-basement. "It's not like I knew you were going to have me tromp through the woods."

"I'm just stating it" Jack replied. He went to a heavy door and unlocked it. He opened it and left it open. Beyond the door was a bedroom and Jack started undoing the buttons on his shirt. "I don't have an office admin right now."

"Is that what I signed on for?" Jessie asked leaning against the door frame. Jack pulled his suspenders down and finished unbuttoning his shirt.

"No" Jack said with a smile. He pulled his shirt off, then turned and pulled off his undershirt. "I chose you for your brawn and bravery. Can you shoot a gun?"

"I can. I'm not a bad shot" Jessie replied. Jack opened a drawer and pulled out a folded white undershirt.

"What are your preferences for shooting?" Jack asked getting dressed again. He smiled at the woman in his door way.

".22's are great for target practice, but for outdoor training and shooting I prefer a .38 special or a .45. 9mm are okay, I suppose. I like Smith & Wesson and Ruger" Jessie replied. She smiled, but not at the man dressing in front of her. "I bought my dad two antique pistols. One was an old flintlock from 1740-something and the other was a Spanish percussion pistol from 1859. Those were fun."

"You sound familiar with handguns. What about other firearms?" Jack asked. Jessie shrugged.

"I'm not a gun expert or anything. I'm just familiar with some things I've used at the range and for bird hunting with my dad" Jessie replied. Jack tucked in his button-down shirt and smiled.

"You know, most people around here don't have much, if any, experience with guns" Jack said. He pulled his suspenders up and checked his collar.

"This is where you live?" Jessie asked. From her position at the door she could see that there was an attached bathroom and space next to the bed for sitting, aptly marked by a reading lamp and an older green chair.

"Yeah, it's not much, but it's home" Jack replied. He didn't waste time in pushing her out of the room and locking the door behind them.

"Do you live here alone?" Jessie asked following him back up to the ground floor.

"Ritha lives here" Jack said. "She goes out occasionally, but it takes a lot of effort for her to remain concealed."

"Concealed? She's green" Jessie remarked. They climbed the stairs up to the garage. "I would think she stands out whether she wants to or not."

They climbed into the SUV before Jack spoke. "She's like a chameleon. She can have her scales reflect a skin tone."

"That's pretty cool" Jessie said. Jack chuckled at her response and agreed as they headed into the heart of Cardiff.

In the basement shop, Ritha was busy scanning the triangular craft with a few devices and Brian was busy scanning through Database 1. Cole was sketching the craft, slowly and almost as an afterthought.

"What do you think of the new girl? I don't think I want another American hanging around, honestly" Cole said. He had the basic geometric shapes on his paper and ran his pencil over the outline to darken it. "Look at the state of things over there. America is bollocks now."

"Perhaps you should spend more than a minute with her before judging" Brian said. He looked over at Cole and let his eyes drop down to his drawing. "I bet she could have an accurate drawing of this thing by now."

"Right, with her three degrees" Cole said with an eyeroll. "I'm not an artist anyway. I'm a surgeon."

"She has a peculiar style" Ritha said. "I'm not completely opposed to it, but it isn't what you see people wearing."

"It's an older style" Brian replied. He had turned back to his computer, enthralled by the sheer amount of information at hand. "There's mention of a translation program that a previous Torchwood employee created."

"That might help us figure out what is stamped onto the craft" Ritha said. "Can you access it?"

"I don't know yet" Brian said. His fingers danced across the keyboard, searching through Database 1. "Miss Butler pulled this out of the rubble of Torchwood 3. The translation program might have been lost for all we know."

"I'm picking up a slight pulse from the object" Ritha said. She was twisting a knob on a scanning device. "I don't know why it's pulsing or why it started."

"Keep at it" Brian said. "I'm looking for that program."

Cole pulled out his mobile and rang Jack. "Jack, it's the craft. It started pulsing." Cole got up and paced. "Brian is looking for some kind of translation program that he thinks might be on Database 1." Cole approached the craft and looked down at it. "No, I don't see anything like that." He paused. "She said she doesn't know much about Axons." He got up and started pacing again. "Alright, see you in a few." Cole pocketed his phone. "Jack said that he'll be here in ten minutes or so."

Jack strolled in almost exactly ten minutes later. Brian turned around in his chair with a frown.

"What's going on?" Jack asked.

"I haven't been able to find the alien translation program in Database 1" Brian said. Jack knelt down next to the craft, carefully not touching it.

"That was Toshiko's program" Jack replied. "It wouldn't be in Database 1. Has the pulse increased in any way?"

"No" Ritha said. "Should it?"

"Okay. Monitor it. I want to know if there are any changes whatsoever" Jack said.

"Do you think we triggered it?" Ritha asked. She leaned over and opened a box at her side. She pulled out a small monitor and a pile of cables.

"Perhaps" Jack replied. "Or maybe it was sent here and is on a timer. Just monitor it."

"You think it might be a bomb?" Cole asked.

"Not if it's from the Axon like I suspect" Jack said.

"What exactly are the Axon?" Cole asked. Jack looked at the others.

Ritha shrugged. "I've only heard stories of monsters when it comes to the Axon."

"All I know is that the Axon are dangerous. I know someone who had a run in with them once. They first appeared as golden humanoids, but it was a disguise for blobby forms with tentacles" Jack said. "They try to sell something called Axonite and then, I don't know, try to take over the population that has accepted it."

"Why?" Cole asked.

"Resources is my guess" Jack said. "I can't honestly say that I remember."

"Stories from my planet say that the Axon absorb organic matter once it takes root on a planet" Ritha said. "It's like a fungus or something. An intelligent fungus."

"I suppose the real question is: what is in this craft?" Brian said.


	4. Quarantine

A few days later and Jack's team found themselves with their new teammate. Jessie was clad in her retro jeans, a blue short-sleeved sweater, and her plaid jacket with the tears mended. Jack gave her a full tour of the warehouse and gave her an office on the basement level.

"That triangle craft we picked up has been giving us some problems" Jack reported. He leaned against the door frame. "It started pulsing. It hasn't stopped and it hasn't changed."

"Did you open it up?" Jessie asked.

"No" Jack replied.

Jessie leaned against the empty, barren desk. "How will you figure out what's in it if you don't open it? I mean, if I find a box, I'm going to open it to see what's inside."

"It might have something very bad inside" Jack said. Jessie nodded.

"Like a bomb?" Jessie asked.

"More like a living thing that could devour the human race" Jack said. "But close enough."

"A living thing" Jessie said. "Can you freeze it?"

"What do you mean?" Jack asked. Jessie stood up and walked around the small office. It was simply a small box of a room with an empty desk and a mediocre office chair. Windows sat on both sides of the door so she could see into the hallway.

"I mean, open it up and use some liquid nitrogen or something" Jessie replied. "If it's living, that would stop it, right?"

"Right" Jack replied. "But, we might not find any information if we kill it."

"I suppose that leaves us in a bit of a quandary" Jessie mused. "Can I see it?"

"I was actually hoping that we could get some preliminary stuff taken care of" Jack said. "We can check it out afterwards."

"Yes, sir" Jessie said with a smile. Jack led her down the sub-basement and through a blue door. It wasn't a room as large as the basement shop, but it was long enough to have been converted into a small gun range. Jack retrieved a set of ear protection for each of them and opened a cabinet that held a dozen different guns and matching ammo.

It didn't take long for Jessie to run through each weapon, aiming for the three targets at the far end of the room. The majority of the shots fired were 'kill shots', the rest would have easily disabled an enemy. The acrid smell of powder filled the room, hanging heavy.

"You are a good shot" Jack said.

"I told you I wasn't bad" Jessie replied. Jack had a pistol from the gun cabinet. He took aim and fired at the targets. When he stopped he had a look of satisfaction on his face, as if he was blowing off steam.

"Brian is a pretty good shot" Jack said. "Ritha and Cole need some work. I think Cole's shooting experience comes from Duck Hunt."

"I never had a nintendo" Jessie said. She checked her pistol for bullets and set it aside.

"Cole and Ritha are gaming fanatics" Jack said. He checked his gun and then put it back in the gun cabinet.

"Are they a couple?" Jessie asked. She handed her gun to Jack, who put it away.

"They are" Jack replied. "Disappointed?"

"Not about that asshole" Jessie said. Jack laughed and put up the ear protection.

"He's not so bad once you get to know him" Jack said. "He's actually a fabulous surgeon."

"Everyone has to be fabulous at something" Jessie stated. Jack shut the gun cabinet and struck a pose.

"I'm fabulous at being fabulous" Jack joked. Jessie cracked a smile. "Come on." Jack put a hand to Jessie's waist and ushered her out of the range. "Let's go have a look at that craft."

* * *

"Jessie had the idea of freezing whatever is inside" Jack said. Jessie stood against Brian's station and watched as Jack pointed to the craft with Cole and Ritha at his side. "If it's Axon, then there's a good chance that it's potentially hazardous to the entire planet."

"Freezing stops most lifeforms" Cole said.

"It might be our best chance of figuring this out" Brian commented.

"Everyone on board with it?" Jack asked. No one argued. "Good. Let's set up a quarantine area. Nothing can leave here."

Setting up a quarantine area went fast once they had acquired all the supplies. By the late afternoon they had a space in the basement set up. Jack handed a packaged suit to Jessie.

"Suit up" Jack ordered. Jack ripped his open and held up the white jumpsuit. "Looks like I need to go change. Ritha, do you have all the equipment ready to go?"

"Almost" Ritha replied. "This new stuff you brought in is a little old."

"Work with it" Jack said. Jessie changed in the shop bathroom and Jack went in once she was done.

"Jess, over here" Brian called out. He was wearing a lab coat and goggles. Jessie went over to him and he handed her a pair of black vinyl gloves. "Those should help. We're not sure what's in that thing, so we have eye protection and a face mask for you. I also want you to wear this." He pulled a headband from his pocket with a camera attached to it. "It's a wireless camera. We will be able to see whatever you're looking at."

Jessie put it on, as well as the goggles and the breathing mask. Brian handed her an ear piece.

"How many times have you guys done this?" Jessie asked.

"This is our first quarantine" Ritha answered. Jessie muttered something under her breath.

"Let me check your gear" Brian said. He went to his computer and pulled up the audio and video on the monitor. "You're good."

"That jumpsuit looks terrible on you" Jack said with a chuckle.

"They look bad on everyone" Jessie said, her voice muffled by the breathing mask. Jack was handed the same items. Black rubber boots were set out for them to put on. "These are a little big."

"I have enough liquid nitrogen in the quarantine area for the job" Cole said. "One of you should be ready with it while the other opens the craft."

"We have a few items in there that should help you open it" Ritha said. She pressed a few buttons. "The monitoring systems are on."

"I should be going in there with you. I'm a doctor. I know how to properly use the liquid nitrogen" Cole said.

"We can handle it" Jack said. He slapped Cole on the arm. "Just keep an eye on us through the monitors."

Jack and Jessie entered the quarantined area. Cole sealed up the plastic room that they had created. A work light illuminated the space. Jack scooped up a crowbar and got to work trying to pry the craft open.

"Do you really think a crowbar is going to work?" Jessie asked. She grabbed one of the heavy, very insulated containers of liquid nitrogen. "Didn't this thing come from space?"

Jack leaned into it and grunted a little. "You would be surprised."

The metal gave way after a minute. It slowly shifted until a center piece popped out. Gas hissed from the opening. Jessie hurried to open the liquid nitrogen container.

"Get it open!" Cole yelled over the ear piece. There was a popping noise from inside the craft. Jack moved to help Jessie dump the liquid nitrogen into the craft. Through the erupting gas he could make out a golden brown blob that twitched.

"Hurry!" Jack said through gritted teeth. The liquid nitrogen smoked and crackled as it froze everything it touched.

"We can barely see anything" Brian said over the ear piece. Jessie set the liquid nitrogen container down and moved in closer to the craft, alongside Jack. The inside of the craft was crusted with frost and the thing inside was frozen and still.

"What is that?" Cole asked.

"That is an Axon" Jack said. He waved his hand to move the gasses out of the way. "I think we got it."

"What do we do with it?" Jessie asked. Jack picked up the crowbar and jammed it into the blob, shattering it. "Well that solves that. You didn't want to save it or something?"

"Hell no" Jack said. He looked over at her and stopped. "We have a problem."

"What is that?" Jessie asked pointing at Jack's side. They each had a golden brown blob on their jumpsuits.

"Oh my god" Ritha said. "Don't let it touch you."

"It's moving!" Jessie cried out. The blob slowly moved upward, from her hip towards her waist.

"Use the other canister of liquid nitrogen" Cole said.

"No! That could be highly dangerous to yourselves" Brian said. Jack tried pushing on the blob that was clinging to him, but it didn't budge.

"We need ideas" Jack said. Jessie hurried over to the other canister of liquid nitrogen. "No. Brian said no."

"I have an idea" Jessie insisted. She looked around the space and was quick to pull off her own glove. She threw it at Jack. "Hold that open."

"What are you doing?" Jack asked. Jessie lifted the canister and poured the liquid into the glove as Jack held it. She set the canister down and gently took the glove.

"Hold out your suit" Jessie said. Jack did and Jessie slowly poured the liquid nitrogen onto the blob until it froze and fell off.

"You did it" Jack said. He took the glove from her and managed to get the blob on her suit to fall off. Once the blobs were both on the floor, they crushed them under their feet. "I think we're okay."

"Those things were on you" Cole said. "Jack, what else do you know about these Axon? If they consume organic material, how fast do they consume it?"

"I don't know" Jack said. "What exactly are you saying, Cole?"

"You have to remain quarantined" Cole said. "We have the supplies handy. Give us a little time. We can get a room set up for you two to use for the night."

"I'll grab the cots" Brian said. Jack paced around the plastic room for a time. They could hear the other hurrying around the shop. They were creating a new space as fast as they could with metal supports and heavy plastic sheeting. Jessie had her ungloved hand pulled into her jumpsuit and she was sitting in the corner of the 12'x12' space.

"Jack, we're going to set this up so you can enter the new room and seal it behind you" Brian finally said over the ear piece.

"The monitors say that the air is breathable. You should be okay to take your masks off" Ritha said. Jessie and Jack both took their breathing masks off. Jessie pulled her goggles and her camera headband off.

"I can't muscle my way out of this" Jessie said. Jack came over as sat down next to her. He pulled off his gloves and looked at her.

"Did I mention that this is a dangerous job?" Jack asked. Jessie smiled.

"I don't mind being in danger or dying" Jessie said. "I do have a problem being the cause of Earth's destruction."

"We'll be okay. Earth is going to be around for a long time" Jack said reassuringly. There was more noise of things being set up. A knife, immediately followed by wide tape sealing up the tear, ran down the center of the quarantined area.

"We're almost ready for you two to move" Brian said. "We're leaving you two with a cooler, cots, and blankets. Cole found a camp toilet."

"Swell" Jessie muttered.

"At least we get a toilet" Jack said. They sat there for another 30 minutes until they were told that they could move through the cut in the plastic. As soon as they were through, they sealed the room off and began taking their suits off. They put the suits into a garbage bag left in the space. Jack touched his earpiece. "Brian, I'm turning off the earpiece for now."

"No problem, Jack" Brian replied. "Ritha and Cole are going to watch the monitors for a bit."

"We will just make ourselves comfortable" Jack said. Jack and Jessie were standing in the new quarantine room in their underwear and shirts. Jack took his earpiece out and set it on the floor under his cot. Jessie sat on the cot left for her and set her earpiece underneath as well. "How are you doing?"

"I think I'm okay" Jessie said. She looked down at herself. "I don't see any marks or indications that the Axon touched my skin. How about you?"

"Same" Jack said. "I like the fuschia panties. Nice color on you." Jessie shook her head and got up to set up the sheets that were left on the bed. She didn't linger on Jack's briefs. "I wonder what they left us in the cooler." He moved the small blue cooler around and opened it up. "Toilet paper, water, sandwiches, crisps, and a bar of chocolate. Wait. There's a magazine in here and hand sanitizer."

"Indoor camping at its finest" Jessie said sitting on her cot.

The evening passed slowly. They had both awkwardly used the camp toilet, a 5-gallon bucket with an attached toilet seat and bucket liner. The seat had a lid to help contain the smell. It was still awkward to use it in such a small space. They had taken their time with the sandwiches and the bag of crisps. They had listened to the others begin the clean up and incineration of the room where the craft resided. It was followed by an immediate oily smoke smell that lingered. By 7pm, Jack was lying on his cot reading the magazine.

"Want to test your sex IQ?" Jack asked. He glanced over at Jessie, who made a scrunched face. "It's a Cosmo quiz."

"Fine" Jessie said after a sigh.

"It's possible for a guy to have multiple orgasms. True or false?" Jack read.

"Uh...true?" Jessie said after a moment.

"What percentage of men in relationships have orgasms? 55, 95, or 75 percent?" Jack read. Jessie shrugged

"75, I suppose" Jessie replied.

"What is the average length of a hard penis?" Jack asked. "5 to 6 inches, 6 inches, or 3 to 4 inches?"

"I don't know. 5 to 6?" Jessie answered.

"If a guy thrusts too hard, he could break his penis" Jack read with a chuckle.

"What the hell?" Jessie asked with a laugh. "False."

"Who daydreams more while having sex? Men or women?" Jack asked.

"Uh...women?" Jessie said. She glanced over at Jack who seemed highly amused.

"In the US, most people's sexual partners number in the single digit range" Jack said. "True or false?"

"True?" Jessie answered.

"In some parts of the country girls have to get permission before waxing down there" Jack read.

"No...um, false" Jessie replied.

"The clitoris have more nerve endings than the penis, true or false?" Jack asked.

"False" Jessie said gazing up at the plastic coated ceiling.

"The bigger a man's feet, the bigger his penis" Jack read.

"Ah...false, I'm sure" Jessie replied.

"Do guys have a g-spot?" Jack asked.

"Isn't the g-spot supposed to be a complete hoax?" Jessie asked. "False."

"You really don't know that one?" Jack asked. He shook his head. "Sex burns as many calories as running a mile."

"Pfft. No" Jessie said. "How many more questions?"

"Only three more" Jack said with a smile. "A small flaccid penis signifies a small erect penis."

"There are showers and there are growers, so false" Jessie said.

"After the bedroom, where is the second most popular place to have sex? The kitchen, a public restroom, or a car?" Jack asked.

"Outside the bedroom?" Jessie muttered. Her eyes moved around in an attempt to seek out an answer. "The...kitchen?"

"Guys can fake orgasms. True or false?" Jack asked.

"False?" Jessie answered. Jack looked at the answers for a moment.

"You only answered half of these correctly" Jack said. He looked past the magazine at her. "That's pretty bad. If this was a real test, you would have an F."

"I think this room is giving me a headache" Jessie replied. She slung one arm over her eyes. Jack turned the pages of the magazine, not really interested in what was written or even in the pictures. It just gave him something to do. "Can we dim the lights or anything?"

"I think it's going to be like this all night" Jack replied. The white heavy plastic-lined room glowed just like a lamp. "Are you worried?"

"No" Jessie replied. "There's nothing to indicate anything from the Axon. I think our suits protected us, unless it has some sort of spore or something that it produces."

"Axons reproduce by growing around organic matter until it encompasses it entirely. It does that until it becomes huge, then breaks off into pieces" Jack said.

"That little blob split apart and jumped on us" Jessie replied turning to look over at Jack. Her grey eyes met his blue ones for a second and she frowned. "What would you call that?"

"A desperate attempt to live" Jack replied. He turned back to the magazine. He had been staring at the shoe advertisement for a while, thinking rather than having any desire for shoes.

The rest of the night was quiet even though they both laid on their cots completely awake.

* * *

"Look at these readings" Ritha said while resting in her bed. Cole was beside her and the sheets were pushed down to their waists. Ritha held up a small tablet that displayed the monitors in the basement shop. "They're both still moving about."

A glance at the clock told Cole that it was nearing 1am. "Maybe Jack's having a romp with the new girl."

"Their heart rates don't indicate that any activity like that has occurred" Ritha said. She pointed to the timeline at the bottom of the display.

"They're just in there, awake?" Cole asked.

"What do you know about Jack?" Ritha asked. She stretched and set the tablet onto her nightstand. "He knows more than anyone on Earth that I've ever met."

"I don't know much about him" Cole replied. "He found me after I came across some kind of pod implanted in a man's chest." The two cuddled up together. "You live here with him."

"He always seems to be moving around" Ritha replied with a yawn.

"I want to see the readings in the morning" Cole said quietly before drifting off to sleep.

* * *

"You're up late" Jack said from his cot. He was laying there with his eyes closed to the harsh brightness of the room. Jessie was on the cold floor stretching.

"I don't sleep much" Jessie replied. She leaned forward, pressing her body against one of her outstretched legs. "Besides, I didn't have the opportunity to take anything tonight. I thought you were sleeping."

"Just resting my eyes" Jack said. "The light was getting to me." He watched his teammate change positions and lean in for another stretch. "Why can't you sleep?"

"I can sleep" Jessie said. "I just don't stay asleep for long."

"Sounds like me" Jack said. He went back to closing his eyes. "I sometimes wonder how everyone can get along with so much sleep."

"I think we're fine" Jessie said after a few quiet minutes. "We haven't had any symptoms from the Axon, no side effects, not even a bruise."

"What would you be doing?" Jack asked. Jessie moved to sit on her cot.

"Sweatpants and a movie" Jessie replied. "What about you?"

"Work" Jack said softly. "I always work." Jessie pulled the sheets over her, mimicking Jack, and stared up at the plastic ceiling. "Try to get some sleep. I expect you at work in the morning."

They laughed awkwardly and tried to bring themselves to rest.

* * *

It was disappointing. More than disappointing, it was downright blasphemy. Jessie spit out the coffee and emptied her mug. Cole and Ritha watched her as if she was half crazy.

"Ugh! That's how you make your coffee?" Jessie asked.

"What's wrong with it?" Cole asked. "Too strong for you?"

"You have too many grounds in there and it is definitely not fresh" Jessie said. She pulled out the filter and saw that it was halfway filled with grounds.

"We like it strong" Ritha said. Jessie dumped the used filter and shoved the filter holder back into place.

"That's not how you make strong coffee" Jessie grumbled. She had finally been able to shower and put her clothes back on. She took a deep breath. "I'll fix this. I'll fix it."

She left the kitchen. Ritha sipped her coffee. "She's weird."

"Pretentious" Cole said. He sat down at the table and looked at the tablet that he had been holding. It was Ritha's and she was letting him check out the readings from the night before. "This was monitoring them the whole night? Both of them?"

"Yes" Ritha said. She moved to look over his shoulder. "Why?"

"Neither one of them slept" Cole said. He pointed to the early morning portion of the readings. "They were still, but they never achieved REM sleep."

"They could have been worried about the Axon" Ritha replied. "Fear can keep one awake."

"Neither one of them show elevated signs of adrenaline or even an elevated heart rate" Cole said. "Calm. They were both calm and didn't bother sleeping."

"That isn't normal for humans" Ritha said. Cole sipped his coffee and handed the tablet back to Ritha.

* * *

"I'm driving you to the grocery store?" Brian asked. He had a small silver car and had just pulled in when Jessie had started leaving the warehouse. She had coaxed him into taking her to the nearest grocery store.

"I need some goddamn coffee, Doc" Jessie said. She was cranky after that terrible cup. They pulled up to a small grocery store.

"You're going to stir the pot with this" Brian said once they reached the coffee aisle. He watched the American look at the bags of beans. He touched the tie knot at his throat. Today it was a green tie. She smelled a few and finally selected a bag. "That's whole bean."

"Yes, I know" Jessie grumbled. She snagged a grinder. "We're going to have some decent coffee."

"All in the name of decent coffee" Brian said following her up to the cashier.

When they got back to the warehouse, Brian followed her to the kitchen. She dumped the pot that was mostly full and got to work grinding a small amount of beans. She put a filter into the filter holder, then dumped the beans in and started the coffee pot brewing.

"You seem to be a coffee connoisseur" Brian said. He flashed Jessie a handsome smile.

"I've spent a lot of time drinking coffee and learning about it" Jessie replied. She went through the cabinets and pulled out a #5 can of Folgers. She dropped it into the trash can without a second thought. The brewing coffee had a rich, almost chocolatey smell to it. Brian touched his lips.

"That smells delightful" Brian said. Jessie smiled and nodded.

"Yeah. The day will turn around now" Jessie replied. "Cups?"

"Far right cabinet" Brian said. "I'll take a mug of that." Jessie retrieved two mugs and eagerly waited to fill them with coffee. "You're going to be on permanent coffee duty if that tastes as good as it smells."

"I'm okay with that" Jessie said. Once the pot was half full, Jessie filled the mugs and put the pot back to catch more coffee. She handed one mug to Brian. "What do you think, Doc?"

Brian took a sip of the coffee and was in full appreciation. "Not wild about the nickname, but the coffee is excellent."

"What is that?" Jack said from the doorway.

"It's damn fine coffee" Brian announced. Jack stepped into the kitchen and poured himself a cup. He had changed into grey trousers, a grey vest, and a blue shirt. "This is what I'd like to wake up to every morning."

"I thought you were more of a red-head fan, Brian" Jack said teasing the short man.

"Ha ha" Brian replied. He got up from the table. "I have work to do. Jess, this was worth the grocery store trip."

"I kind of forced him to take me to the grocery store" Jessie said after seeing the questioning look on Jack's face. "What's on the docket today, Jack?"

"Interesting thing happened last night" Jack said. "There were two more Axon crafts that crashed while we were in quarantine. We need to retrieve them and neutralize the Axons inside."

"Good thing we just had a trial run" Jessie replied.


	5. 15 Minutes or 5 Months

The first ship had been a hassle to load up into the van, but Jack and Jessie managed it in a timely fashion. It had landed in Brecon Beacons National Park. The second ship was a whole other matter, having landed in a field northwest of Stafford.

"This isn't good" Jack said clad in his white hazard suit. Jessie stood next to him, also in a white suit. They were forced into changing their attire after finding that the second ship had been dragged into a barn. The barn, which had once held two horses, three goats, and a dozen chickens was almost bursting with the Axon. Jack handed a pistol and shoulder harness to Jessie, then hurried off towards the barn.

"I'm going to look around, Jack" Jessie said. "Don't go in there alone."

"I need to talk to it" Jack said.

"Well stand outside and yell really loud" Jessie said hurrying to head around the barn, towards the small farmhouse. The old man who owned the property had been glad when they showed up and decided that he would stay inside his house until "the authorities" dealt with the menace at hand.

"I need to talk to you!" Jack yelled from outside the barn doors. One of the barn doors opened and three golden humanoids emerged. Their eyes bulged like a frog's and they moved a little mechanically. "Hi there. I'm Captain Jack Harkness."

"We need your help" One of the Axon said. "We are the last of our kind."

"We can offer you axonite in return for your services" One of the other Axons said. Jack cocked an eyebrow.

"Three of you fit inside one of those small ships?" Jack asked. "Must have been a super cozy flight."

"We need your help" The first Axon said. The backside of the barn began to smoke and Jessie ran around the corner of the barn, keeping a wide berth from the building.

"What happened to the horses?" Jack asked.

"We had to consume to survive" One of the Axons said. Three shots were fired, each hitting an Axon in the head. They screamed, without dying, and began to morph into blobby forms. Tentacles wavered among them and the screaming became louder. Jack pulled out his gun and began firing at the creatures.

The barn began burning, following the line of gasoline that had been tossed along the walls of the barn. As the building became more consumed, the Axon retreated inside, screaming the entire time.

"They consumed the animals in the barn?" Jessie asked hanging onto a gas canister. Jack nodded and moved backwards, watching the barn go up in flames. Through the open barn door they could see dark figures flailing around in the fire and smoke. "I sure hope fire stops them." Jack looked over at her. "We only had the one small canister of liquid nitrogen."

The old barn went up quickly and the Axon within burned just as fast. There were sputters and splintering sounds. From within the barn an item was tossed out, or spit out, or ejected from within. No matter the reason for its expenditure from the barn, it landed about thirty feet from Jack and Jessie. It was metal and had a blue glow to it.

"What is that?" Jessie asked. They hurried over to it and crouched around it.

"That's definitely some alien tech" Jack replied. Jessie reached out and touched the strange crescent disc.

And disappeared in a flash of light.

"Jess?" Jack called out. "Jessie?!" He immediately tapped on his headset. "Brian, you there?"

"I'm here" Brian replied.

"What the hell just happened?" Jack asked. "Get a reading on Jessie. She was here and then just disappeared. There's some kind of alien tech here. She touched it. Was it a transmat?"

The comm link went silent for a moment. Jack could hear the tapping of a keyboard. "I can't find any readings of her. There was a burst of energy though. I can barely trace it."

Jack flipped open his vortex manipulator and pressed a few buttons. "I might be able to pick up on the energy from here."

"Local fire is on the way" Brian reported. "Looks like they'll be there in 5-8 minutes, depending on traffic."

The vortex manipulator was only picking up a slight trace of the energy. Jack made an adjustment and waited. He made another and waited. He made adjustments and waited until he heard two fire engines. He looked over his shoulder and could see them beyond the surrounding farms, speeding towards the burning barn.

"I need a little more time to get a fix on the energy" Jack said over the comm. The fire brigade pulled up and went to work spraying the barn with water.

"What happened?" One of the firemen asked Jack.

"There was an accident in the barn" Jack replied.

"What were you doing in there?" The fireman asked. Jack glanced down at himself and noted the hazard suit.

"Getting ready to paint" Jack said. The fireman eyeballed him and hurried to help the brigade.

"Nice. I hope you're not wearing your gun" Brian said. Jack hurried over to the white van and put his gun and holster under the driver's seat. "Have you got a lock on the energy burst yet?"

"Getting there" Jack replied. The vortex manipulator beeped. "Brian, I'll be back in a moment."

Jack initiated the manipulator and faded in a shimmer of light. He emerged in a foreign landscape made up of rugged terrain, matte dark rocks, and various races of prisoners moving about with tools and carts. The sky was red and slightly touched with dark clouds.

"Jessie?" Jack called out softly. He moved around, ducking down next to a large cart full of the dark rock. The place was full of the sounds of pick-axes chipping at rocks and the general disgruntled grumbles of the chained, rag-wearing prisoners working. Jack hurried to move next to a piece of machinery that appeared to be rusted in place. He heard the sound of a whip cracking twice and cautiously peered around the giant tire.

A tall, wide-shouldered, pig-faced creature was in some sort of dispute with someone in rags, one of many people in rags. Two other pig creatures hurried over and grabbed the prisoner, who attempted to fight them off. The one with the whip ordered the prisoner to be turned around. Once the rags were lifted, Jack could tell the prisoner was humanoid and female. Red marks were laced across her back. The whip snapped a few times and the prisoner screamed. It continued until the prisoner fell to her knees.

Jack shrunk back behind the tire. He stuck out like a sore thumb in his white hazard suit. He looked around, looking for another white suit clad person.

A whistle blew in the distance and the prisoners suddenly stopped working. They moved, all heading in the same direction. Carts full of rock were pushed in the same direction. Jack knelt down, hiding among the machinery. The pig creatures passed by, stopping to rough up the slower prisoners. One of the slow prisoners was the female who had been whipped. Dirty, ratty hair hung down around her shoulders and the clothing was dirty, ratty rags. Blood was starting to soak through her top. Dirt covered tattoos could be seen through the tears and holes in the sleeves of the shirt.

The female prisoner stopped when she glanced Jack's way. Jack leaned back so he was entirely in a shadow and behind the machine's large tire. He heard the prisoner move towards his location.

"Jack?" A harsh whisper. Jack poked his head out from behind the wheel. The female hurried over to him. It wasn't until she was up close that Jack recognized the dirt covered face.

"Jessie?" Jack asked with disbelief. He stood up and grabbed her face, his eyes wide with confusion and disbelief. "What? What the hell happened to you?"

There was a commotion and the pig creatures hurried towards Jack.

"Hold on" Jack said wrapping an arm around Jessie. His vortex manipulator was initiated and they disappeared from the strange prison land.

* * *

Jack and Jessie appeared alongside the white van. They were met with the harsh sirens of the fire brigade, the roar of the all-encompassing and engulfing fire, the rushing of the water hoses, and the noises from the firemen. Jessie, wide-eyed and shaken, put her hands to her ears and screamed.

"Jack? Jack?" Brian yelled in Jack's ear.

"I'm back. I hear you" Jack said to his earpiece. "I found her, but something is wrong."

* * *

It was a long 2-½ hour trip back to Cardiff. Jack kept his peripheral on the woman in rags sitting in the seat next to him and kept quiet. She was positioned so her back wasn't against the seat and she seemed content to stare out the window.

"Are you okay?" Jack asked. The dirt-ridden woman pressed her face against the cool window and remained quiet. The rest of the drive was quiet until Jack put on the radio at a low volume level, just to break the silence.

Once they reached the warehouse Jack hurried around to help Jessie. She was noticeably thinner.

Jack tapped his earpiece. "Brian, tell Cole to get ready now. I need you and Ritha to take care of the cargo."

"What's going on?" Brian asked. Jack tapped his earpiece off and slowly escorted Jessie down to the basement level, to the dual offices that served as Cole's main medical bay.

"Holy shit" Cole said when they came in. He had a few items on a rolling trolley and quickly added a few more after a momentary assessment. Jack helped Jessie onto the medical bed, face down. "Where did these clothes come from? Why are you so dirty?"

"Something happened out there Cole" Jack said. He pushed up the back of her shirt revealing the new slashes from the whipping. Up close Jack was surprised to see her ribs starting to poke out in an undernourished way and scores of older, healed slash marks. "Jesus."

"Excuse me" Cole said moving in to listen with his stethoscope. "Jack, could you fill a bowl with warm water please?"

Jack did so, placing a small stack of washcloths next to the bowl. Cole soaked a cloth and slowly began cleaning the wounds and Jessie's back. Jessie flinched every so often, but appeared to be mostly accustomed to what was being done.

"I'll find some spare clothes" Jack said softly.

"Loose and baggy" Cole called out to him as he left. He continued cleaning her back of sweat and dirt, then applied an iodine mixture. He let it dry while preparing a needle and thread. "You need a few stitches."

Jack was back at the medical bay just as Cole was wrapping gauze around Jessie's torso. He set some items down on the table next to Jessie. She was sitting up, holding her shirt up enough for Cole to wrap her up.

"I hope you're not too stylish for sweatpants and a baggy t-shirt" Jack said. He smiled, but it was full of concern rather than levity. "Can she wash up?"

"Sponge bath only" Cole said. "The lacerations aren't terribly deep, but until the stitches are out, nothing strenuous. Jack-" Cole pulled Jack into the hallway, out of earshot from Jessie. "She has a crazy amount of scarring on her back that didn't just happen. Some of them aren't even fully healed. What happened out there?"

"I'll figure it out" Jack said glancing into the lab. Jessie sat where they had left her.

"Are you sure she's mentally stable for the job?" Cole asked. Jack's face tightened up and he went back into the lab.

"C'mon" Jack said taking Jessie and the baggy clothes with him. "Thanks Cole."

"I need to know what happened" Cole said as they walked away from him. He sighed and turned to clean up his area. "Damn field work."

Jack led Jessie down the hall and around a corner where single-person bathrooms had been installed when the warehouse had actually had real offices. They went into one and began to run the water in the sink. He coaxed the shirt off the Jessie, not letting his face show anything except clinic neutralness.

"You were only gone for maybe 15 minutes at the most" Jack told her. He retrieved some paper towels, ran them under the warm water, and began cleaning her shoulders and arms. "It was just enough time for the fire brigade to show up."

"Five months" Jessie croaked out. "It took you five months."

"I promise you that it was only 15 minutes" Jack insisted. Jessie shook her head 'no'. A tattoo on her shoulder was split by an old whip mark. Jack touched it, then picked up Jessie's hair. It was a little longer and beyond filthy. It even had little pieces of rock in parts of it. It was nothing like the day old hairstyle she had been sporting when they had left. Now it was down and around her shoulders with her bandana tied around her head like a sweatband. He finished up with her arms and shoulders, as best he could for the moment, and let her pull the t-shirt on. It hung on her frame making her look even smaller and thinner.

"Pants off" Jack said. He knelt before her and helped her undo the knot at her waist. The pants she wore had a simple drawstring and had an obvious prison stamp on them. Jack frowned and decided that he was going to incinerate them as soon as possible. The t-shirt was long enough to cover anything, but modesty didn't seem to be an issue for her. She leaned against the wall and let Jack clean her up. She had bruises, scrapes, and a spot on her left thigh that looked as if she had been branded.

"I'm thirsty" Jessie whispered.

"We will get something to drink once we finish" Jack said. He kept his touch light as he moved from one leg to the other.

"Jack?" Jessie asked softly. "This is real?"

"Yes" Jack replied. "You're back in Cardiff with Torchwood."

"Can I get some new underwear?"Jessie asked. Jack smiled and almost laughed.

"I'll send someone out" Jack replied. He grabbed the sweatpants and helped her step into them. The waistband had to be drawn in to fit her. He stood up and looked her over. "We need to get your hair washed, but other than that, you look about as pitiful as Oliver Twist."

"Swell" Jessie replied.

* * *

Brian found Jack and Jessie in the kitchen. Jack was drinking a cup of coffee and Jessie was drinking a glass of water. He pulled his goggles and breathing mask from his face and sat down.

"What happened out there?" Brian asked. "Ritha and I took care of that one craft, but what about the other?" He looked at Jessie. "What happened to you?"

Jessie responded by drinking her water. Jack sipped his coffee. "The barn burned down and the fire eliminated the Axons."

"But?" Brian said.

"But, there was an alien device that we had to deal with" Jack said. "I put it in the lockbox in the van. Don't let anyone touch it."

"What about you? You look like hell" Brian said to Jessie. Jack wanted to jump between them like a protective dog, but held himself back.

"I was gone for five months" Jessie stated. Brian shot Jack a confused look, but was not met with any answers. Jessie finished her water and Jack refilled it for her.

* * *

The crescent disc in the lockbox had been dumped into a stasis field. Ritha was running an analysis on the device, but there weren't any signals being emitted from it. Cole came into the basement shop, where it seemed all the work really took place, and stood with his arms crossed.

"What is that thing?" Cole asked. He was still in his lab coat and his hair was tethered back.

"Jack and Jessie found it" Ritha said. "What was going on with Jessie?"

"I'm not entirely sure" Cole said moving around the object. "It looks like she was whipped."

"Whipped?" Ritha asked. "I thought they just had a fire going on out at that farm."

"Well, I just sewed up her back" Cole replied. "She was completely filthy too."

"Maybe it has something to do with this thing" Ritha replied. Her computer was still going through it's scanning program. "It should be finished scanning in a half hour or so."

"I have to wonder about our new teammate" Cole said. "I think she might be one of those BDSM types."

"Voice your concerns to Jack, Cole" Ritha told him. "He chose her."

"I still don't understand that" Cole said. "A writer posing as an agent of Torchwood? It sounds ridiculous."

"We still barely know her" Ritha remarked. "Why don't we just give her a few days?"

"Fine" Cole said moving to kiss Ritha's cheek. "But, I firmly think she's nutty as a fruitcake."

* * *

"Can I go home?" Jessie asked. She had finished three glasses of water.

"After we get your hair taken care of" Jack replied. Jessie reached up and felt her hair. It felt as it had for the last five months. She pulled the bandana off, sending dirt and grit to the floor. Jack touched her shoulder and she stood up.

"Am I getting that?" Brian called out as they left. "Yep, let the dwarf clean up after you. Just what I need to be spending my time on...as a doctor of physics."

Jack and Jessie left in the SUV and headed deeper into Cardiff. He made a few phone calls and finally pulled up to a small salon that was tucked in next to an Italian deli. The salon smelled of disinfectant, coconut oil, and cocoa butter. Two of the three salon chairs were empty. A man reading a magazine was sitting in one chair. When Jack entered he put the magazine down and stood up.

"Twice in one month, Jack? I'll have to take you for drinks" The man said giving Jack a flirty smile.

"It's not for me this time, Barry" Jack said. "My friend here needs desperate help, just a wash and blowout."

"Oh shit" Barry said looking at her hair. "Maybe more like a wash-wash-wash and blowout. Damn girl, what have you been doing?" Barry led her over to a hair washing station and sat her down. "I don't know what the story is, but I am going to get all that shit out."

Barry put a towel around her neck and fastened a cape around her. The water blasted from the faucet and Barry waited for it to become a workable temperature. Jessie gripped the arms of the seat when Barry had her lean back. Her knuckles turned white when he began spraying down her hair and applying shampoo.

"There are small rocks in your hair" Barry said half way through the shampooing. He grabbed the sprayer and rinsed the shampoo from her hair. It came away dirty. Jack was perched in one of the salon chairs, flipping through a thick magazine. He smiled when Barry applied more shampoo. "This really is going to be a multiple shampooing."

"Do you have a hair treatment?" Jack asked.

"Oh, I do, but I would suggest getting the hair clean and remaining clean for a whole week first" Barry said. "That will get all the dirt and unnecessary oils off the hair. I don't want to sound like I'm pushing the priciest hair treatment, but in this case I would highly recommend the Platinum Package. It takes an hour and it's two steps. I have a hair oil gel that helps to volumize and pulls out dirt and grime and stuff. I wash that out, then apply a hair mask that helps with moisture and leaves a really pretty shine."

"We might have to make an appointment for that" Jack said.

"I would definitely give it a week" Barry said. He look down at Jessie. "And you, wash your hair every day for a week."

He rinsed the shampoo out and applied a cocoa butter conditioner. As soon as he was done with the washing process, they went to the first salon chair and Barry began the process of combing out Jessie's brunette hair.

"Look at that" Barry said pulling a comb easily through her wet hair. "Girl, your hair loves you. Most of those rat nests came out in the washing and your hair is combing out nicely."

"Can you just blow dry it straight?" Jessie asked.

"I thought you might be mute or something" Barry said. "I can blow dry it for you."

The blow dryer roared to life and for the first time in five months, or at least within the last two hours, Jessie felt like a real person again. Jack paid Barry double his asking price, then escorted Jessie out to the SUV.

"Feel better?" Jack asked.

"I feel more like a person" Jessie replied. They pulled into traffic.

"Where am I taking you?" Jack asked.

"Uh...Capital Apartments" Jessie said. Jack knew of the apartment complex and dropped her off at the front entrance. A guy in a rugby shirt was sitting outside listening to his headphones and reading a magazine. When Jack asked if she needed help inside, Jessie said no and headed inside.


	6. Recovery

"We need to talk Jack" Brian said. The dwarf followed Jack down to Jack's office. "Ritha hasn't found a thing with that device you found. She called it a dead cell."

"Then it must of had enough juice for one use" Jack replied. "It was some kind of transport device. I'm not sure what else it did."

"There must have been some kind of time difference when Jessie was transported" Brian said. "Cole mentioned that it looked as if she had been whipped."

"Tell Cole to keep his goddamn mouth shut" Jack snapped. He sat behind his desk and looked to see what he should work on first.

"He has concerns about her mental health" Brian said. Jack rested his elbows on his desk and glowered at Brian.

"Brian, I need you to understand that she was transported" Jack said slowly. The dwarf sat across from Jack. "I had to use my vortex manipulator to lock onto her position and bring her back. You can tell Cole to shove it. I found her on a prison planet."

"And you believe she was there for five months?" Brian asked.

"She was there long enough to be a little traumatized by it" Jack said. The handsome dwarf sat back in the chair and rubbed his goatee before crossing his arms.

"Jack, I've been with you for a year now" Brian began. "I have collected alien tech with you, stopped weevils, and there was that one weekend in Manchester…" He smiled and so did Jack. "I know this stuff exists, but I just have trouble wrapping my mind around instantaneous travel through time and space. It's such a wild concept."

"Just trust me on this, Brian" Jack said. He picked up a pile of papers and set them back down. "For her it was five months."

"Where is she now? Shouldn't we be observing her?" Brian asked.

"I dropped her off at her apartment" Jack replied. "I thought she could use a night to herself."

"Where's she staying?" Brian asked.

"Near the harbor at Capital Apartments" Jack said. Jack crossed his hands on his desk. "Going to check into her background?"

"Yeah" Brian said as if it were obvious.

Jack smirked. "Have fun."

* * *

The late afternoon brought in dark skies and showers. Jessie had spent her afternoon crying and doing busy work, cleaning mostly. She filled a 55 gallon trash can with another shovel full of grime. She felt bad for having lied to Jack, but she would show him. She looked at the clock on the wall and hurried upstairs. She had pizza on the way and didn't want to miss the delivery boy.

* * *

Brian frowned as evening fell. He had started out with social media. Jessie Butler was easy to find. She had the usual facebook page, instagram, twitter, and a website for her books. Brian gathered that her basic story was that she was from small town America, liked to travel, started writing books in college, sold some, got on the bestseller list twice, and had more thriller novels coming up soon, as her publisher proudly announced. He had found some information that was going to send Jack into a sour mood.

"Yowza" Brian said looking through a series of photos from a photoshoot that was marked as being for some vintage living magazine. He had gone back to the social media to browse. She was in high heels, her hair was curled about her shoulders in a Veronica Lake sort of way, and she was in almost nothing. The robe she had on, with purposefully created shadows, was sheer with feather trim. There were a few tattoos that could be seen through the robe.

"Brian, here are those reports you were asking for" Ritha said. She handed him a manilla folder and looked over his shoulder at his computer. "Who is that?"

"That is our dear Jessie Butler" Brian replied. "It's from a photoshoot from two years ago."

"It's very glamorous" Ritha stated. "Do a lot of Earth women have photo shoots done?"

"No, but it's not hard to find a photographer and get something lined up" Brian said. Ritha nodded and pointed to a small thumbnail of the next one. Brian clicked on it. It was a photo of Jessie from behind, putting lipstick on in a boudoir mirror, and her expression only seen through the mirror. She was still in the robe.

"I like this one" Ritha said. "It's interesting. Your eyes are drawn to the mirror, but there is a lot going on in the photo."

"Brian?" Jack said from down the hallway. He came down the hallway with an open folder in his hands. "Hey Brian, remember those Sontaran weapons we found-?" He stopped when he saw Ritha in Brian's office and that they were looking at something. "Oh, hey Ritha. What are you looking at?"

"Glamorous photos" Ritha replied with a smile. "I think I want some taken."

"Yeah?" Jack said with a smile. He moved around Brian's desk and his expression changed. It was somewhere between surprise and desire. "Oh my god. Is that-?"

"From two years ago" Brian replied. "She really seems to like that whole vintage look."

"I-yeah. I agree with you" Jack said. Brian clicked on the next thumbnails in the series. Jack tried not to let his jaw hang open. He looked at the folder in his hands and stood up. "I was doing more work on those weapons we found a few months ago."

"Do you think Cole would like it if I had photos taken of me like that?" Ritha asked. Brian smiled at her.

"I think he would love it" Brian replied. Ritha stood up and left with a big smile on her green scaled face.

"I found some information on Jessie, beyond the photos" Brian told Jack as soon as it was clear. Jack moved to sit on the edge of Brian's desk. "You're not going to like it."

"Out with it" Jack urged.

"Well, for the most part, everything she said is correct, but she doesn't have an apartment at Capital" Brian said. Jack's face fell.

"I dropped her off there. She went inside" Jack said insistently. "Where does she live?"

"As far as I can tell" Brian said. "She is homeless."

Anger rolled off of Jack like a volcanic eruption. He stormed out of Brian's office, down to his to retrieve his coat, and stormed through the building.

"Where are you going?" Brian asked following him as Jack adjusted his collar.

"To find her" Jack growled.

"I thought you were going to give her a night to herself" Brian called after him.

"She has to be somewhere Brian" Jack replied. "I am going to figure out where."

* * *

She felt better with a knife at her side. She was sure she looked ridiculous, but she could care less. She had found a tactical knife that was secured onto a belt in the old Torchwood Hub armory. Before the five month stint at the alien prison she had broken in to claim the Hub as her own place. Cleaning had started with the space furthest away from the center of the underground space. She had found a washer and dryer that still worked. An upstairs office, which she assumed was Jack's from the paperwork and trinkets, was almost in good order. The glass walls had nearly all been shattered or cracked. The explosion that had happened, for the most part, had traveled upwards, where there was more space for expansion. She had cleaned up the office as quickly as possible and had started sleeping there on a cot. It had been cold the first night, but she had found a mechanical room down a set of stairs near a cog-shaped thing that was firmly held in place. She had managed to get the boiler system working, thanking her dad in the process for having showed her how to so many years prior.

Jessie had found a small radio in Jack's office and it was tuned to an FM station that played mostly 80s music. She had ordered pizza and took another break to have another slice. How could pizza taste so good? Her eyes filled with tears as she took another bite. She didn't miss the beige gruel that they had been served in the prison. She plopped down on the stairs and couldn't stop the tears that flowed.

After a moment, her mind told her to stop crying because it was ridiculous. She wasn't at that horrid prison. There weren't constant screams and moans and yelling. The work being done here was voluntary, not forced. She was safe now and this was her underground sanctuary. Jessie angrily wiped tears from her face and took a decisive bite of pizza. She would not cry. She repeated it to herself as a mantra.

A deep breath and a strong desire to eat tear-free pizza forced her to stand up and move around. Staying still right now would be bad. It was strange to see garbage bins with rubble and broken bits. It had been so long for her, yet here on Earth and in Cardiff, it had been almost no time at all. The center of the old Torchwood lair was the worst and one of the first things she had done, before, had been to clear a walkway. She had been working on clearing and cleaning the space for four days and the current half-day she was intent on putting in.

It wasn't an impossible task, but it was a hefty one. Her head had a dull throb to it that had been coming and going all afternoon. She rubbed at her forehead and stopped when she heard something. The radio that was positioned upstairs in Jack's office sounded a little tinny and there was a light sound of rushing water from under the grated floor in the center of the lair. It was interrupted by a slight scraping noise.

Jessie dropped her half-eaten pizza slice into a garbage bin as she hurried over to the stairwell door. Panic, adrenaline, and fear flooded her mind. She thumbed the snap from the tactical knife holster and readied the knife as she stood flat against the wall. She heard the pounding of blood her ears, the water, the tinny radio...and another shuffling scrape...the door opened.

Jessie struck out and felt the knife find a target. The hazy of fear faded and she realized that she was looking into Jack's pain twisted face. Her hands shook.

"Jack?" Jessie shrieked. Jack's hands felt heavy on her shoulders and he slumped to his knees. The knife protruded from his gut. Jessie made a sound on anguish and knelt down. "Oh my god! Jack!"

Her hands reached out for the knife, then stopped. Should she pull it out? Wasn't that bad? Jack did it for her and dropped the knife on the concrete landing. He groaned and gritted his teeth together.

"I didn't think it was you" Jessie said quickly. "I thought it was some kind of intruder, or-or-"

Jack sat back and cried out. He looked down at himself, at his shirt. "At least you missed my coat."

"You need a doctor" Jessie said. He waved her away.

"I'll be alright" Jack said. He pushed himself up and then pulled Jessie up. He saw the pizza box across the hub and pointed to it. "I hope you didn't greet the pizza boy like that."

Jessie pressed a shaking hand to his gut. "We should keep pressure on the wound."

Jack pulled her hand away and showed her the wound that was closing. "It takes more than that to kill me." He was met by a confused expression. "You lied to me about where you live."

"Jack-" Jessie said. He pushed past her and surveyed the hub. He hurried up the stairs and snagged the pizza on the way. Jessie retrieved her knife and followed him. Jack stood overlooking the sanctuary with a slice of pizza in hand.

"Why would you be here?" Jack asked. His eyes looked over the center of the hub. It had been partially cleaned up, mostly the rubble had been moved around to make space. "Nothing works around here."

"No" Jessie said disagreeing. "I made some things work around here be-before...before..."

"I guess you do have the lights on" Jack said looking around. He took a big bite of his pizza, happy to have a slice from Jubilee Pizzeria again.

"And the plumbing and heating" Jessie said. "The washer and dryer were dusty, but were shielded from whatever happened here. The round medical bay, over there, is fairly clean. It didn't take too much damage. This area didn't take too much damage either, just broken glass mainly."

"I suppose it was a good idea to have the ballistic glass installed" Jack said. "Who has been helping you?"

"Just me" Jessie said. Jack turned and watched her for a moment before taking off his great coat. He moved around his old desk and sat down. The seat had been cleaned and the rounded desk had been thoroughly cleaned. The wood was polished, the pencil cup had been washed out, his dual lamps had new bulbs, things had been dusted...Jack opened the side drawer. It looked as if it had been cleaned out and everything replaced.

"You went through everything?" Jack asked, his voice tinged with annoyance.

"I didn't-" Jessie started. "I didn't really look at anything. I was just cleaning."

"Why didn't you tell me you were down here?" Jack asked.

"I was going to" Jessie said. "I was going to fix it up more first. Are you angry?"

"Maybe a little" Jack replied. He set his pizza, mostly eaten, down on a piece of paper. "Nothing that won't pass." He looked over at the cot and blankets tucked along the back wall of his office. "Is that where you've been sleeping?"

"Before…" Jessie replied. "Yes."

Jack got up, went around his desk and over to what looked like a manhole. "There's a bedroom down here."

"I know" Jessie said rubbing her arms. "It's clean down there too."

Jack opened the hatch and climbed down. The room illuminated upon his descent and he smiled. Jessie knelt at the top of the hatch and looked down. "I don't think it was this clean when I lived here full time."

"Everything is washed including what was in the closet and drawers" Jessie called down to him. Jack looked up at her and then walked out of sight, towards his dresser. He opened up a few drawers and found a few things he had kept tucked away. The dresser had been cleaned out and everything replaced, just like his desk.

"This is incredible" Jack said coming back to the ladder. He climbed back up to his office. "You like it here?"

"I'm here because it keeps me busy" Jessie admitted. "This place does have a bit of style to it."

"That would be my doing" Jack said. He moved back over to his desk. "Vintage desk and accessories, subway tile in places, safety yellow railings where they still exist…" Jessie sat down in the black chair next to his desk, shaking just a little. "I can have the damaged railing down there replaced."

"Have my new books been published yet?" Jessie asked. She was staring at the floor, shaking slightly.

"No, it's the same day that you left" Jack said a little concerned.

"Oh, okay. Okay" Jessie replied. The sounds and images from the prison planet flashed in her mind. She stood up a little too quickly. "Floors. Got to clean the floors."

"Jess" Jack said. He hurried to grab her before she ran off, which he could read so clearly on her face. "Jess!" Her distant eyes floated around and finally found Jack's. "You're safe. You're with me and you're safe."

"All I could think about was getting back here" Jessie said softly. Jack pulled her into a hug and listened to her. "The promise of adventure, everything that had been going on...am I even still legally an American?" Jack didn't answer, but he felt her give into the hug and put her arms around his waist. "No one even knows that I was gone and I have these horrible memories."

"I understand" Jack told her. "I understand more than you'll ever know." He pulled back just enough to look down at her. "You can tell me as much as you need to."

"There are aliens everywhere" Jessie said anxiously. "The weevils, the Axon, Ritha-"

"Ritha is pretty nice" Jack said reassuringly. "She liked your glamour shots from a few years ago. Brian found your author site, found some photos."

"I barely know Ritha" Jessie replied.

"What about me?" Jack asked. Jessie's brow furrowed and her head tilted a little. "What if I said I was born on a different planet, still human, but just not from Earth?"

"Still human" Jessie said. "Is that how you healed so fast?"

"No. That's something else" Jack replied. "A story too long to tell right now." He felt her arms shake a little. "You're shaking."

"I need to get to w-w-work" Jessie said. The shake embarrassingly reached her voice and she tried to pull away.

"You've worked hard enough today" Jack said softly. He moved a hand up to cup her cheek and he smiled. "Spend some time with me tonight. We can watch a movie. Relax a little."

"Jack-"Jessie began. His thumb brushed her lips and her eyes darted around. She went to say his name, but nothing came out. Jessie felt a heavy anxiety in her chest. Jack smiled and leaned in a little. His hand that lingered at her waist found one of her hands and pulled it up to his shoulder. She was still shaking when he leaned in to kiss her.

Jack kept the kiss slow and intense. He was afraid that anything too fast would scare her off, like a deer or a rabbit. When he pulled out of the kiss, he found her out of breath and with her eyes closed. He held her close and loosened his grip. She stood there, blinking her eyes, and forcing herself to process everything.

"Tonight it should be you and me" Jack whispered. Jessie moved her lowered hand up to Jack's wrist, the one that held her face. Her face was turning bright pink with a deep blush. The silence bloomed until it was so thick it seemed hard to breathe.

"Aren't there rules about fraternizing with the boss?" Jessie finally asked. Her fingers, resting along his shoulder, were taking in the textile differences between his shirt and suspenders. Jack laughed.

"I can overlook it" Jack replied. He leaned in and gave her a kiss that wasn't as sweet as before. It had the lure of sex and passion behind it, desire and lust. He pulled away for air. "Let me distract you tonight."

"Does that mean no movie?" Jessie asked. Jack smiled and leaned in close so their noses touched.

"We can do a lot of things tonight, whatever you'd like" Jack replied. The hand that lingered at her waist found it's way under the oversized shirt, finding the gauze wrapping. Jack had forgotten that she had the wrapping on. "I forgot about your bandages."

"Maybe we shouldn't" Jessie said pulling back and just out of reach. She reached up and brushed her face with her hand, perhaps moved a strand of hair out of the way; the movement was the same. Jack glanced at the floor and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"How about we find a spot to watch something and finish that pizza?" Jack suggested. Jessie smiled at that and nodded.

* * *

Jack had found a pair of flannel pants and a new, hole-less shirt to change into. Jessie was still in the oversized clothing from earlier in the day and they were both sitting on an old couch that they had pushed in front of the only working flatscreens. Jessie had started out cramped up along one of the arms of the couch and by mid-way, Jack had coaxed her into stretching her legs out across his lap.

They were watching 'The Saint'. Jack had made comments during the film about cold fusion and things Val Kilmer was doing that were right and wrong.

"Have you ever been to Russia?" Jack asked.

"No" Jessie replied. "But, there were quite a few Russians where I grew up."

"I went once during the winter" Jack said. Val Kilmer was on the screen, in the water to avoid the Russian mob. "It was a long time ago and it was cold. Too cold."

"Are you still hungry?" Jessie asked.

"Not really" Jack said. "What are you thinking?"

"I really have no clue" Jessie replied with a smile. "I'm probably just thirsty. My mom always said that if you don't know what you want, you're probably just thirsty."

Jack reached for the remote and paused the movie. He got up with a smile and hurried off. He returned after a few minutes with a bottle of wine in hand and two glasses in the other. "Wine? I had this stashed away in a secret place."

"Sure" Jessie said. Jack stopped at his desk and opened the bottle with a pleasant pop. He poured two glasses and returned to the couch. "Thank you."

"Look at this" Jack said pulled Jessie's legs back over his. The film was playing again. "That is not something you would want to do. Once he's out of that water, there's a possibility that he wouldn't be able to move across the road."

"Desperate measures" Jessie said sipping her wine. It was a red with dry, chocolatey undertones.

"It's good, right?" Jack said.

"You sure talk a lot" Jessie said.

"Yet you seem highly amused" Jack replied. He picked up her free hand and kissed the back of the knuckles. Jessie blushed and tried hiding it by taking a sip of her wine. "Maybe that should be highly aroused."

"Maybe you should tone it down" Jessie suggested. Jack turned her hand over and kissed the inside of her wrist. The embarrassed blush on her cheeks was replaced by a sudden rush of flaming arousal. "Jack, I can't drink my wine with you doing that."

"What a shame" Jack said sitting upright. He sipped his own glass of wine. Jack's phone, resting on the arm on his side of the couch, lit up with a text message.

 _I'm locking up._ It was from Ritha. Jack texted back that she shouldn't wait up for him. _I knew you had a thing for her._

The phone sounded another alert, this time from Brian. _I have a scan running and it just picked up a strange energy source near Blackweir Fields. Meet you there._

"Shit" Jack said. He stood up with slightly slumped shoulders. "I have to run."

"What? Why?" Jessie asked. She stood up and followed him over to the hatch.

"Brian picked up a strange energy source" Jack said. "I need to meet him there." He descended the ladder. "You should stay here and let your back heal."

"Won't you two need help?" Jessie asked. Jack moved out of view and Jessie could hear him opening drawers.

"Sure. Have you seen weapons 199-A2-96 and 199-A2-97?" Jack said.

"Maybe" Jessie replied. "199-A2-96, 97. Let me go see what I can find."

Jack stepped back to look up at the hatch, but Jessie had already gone. He pulled on a spare olive green button up shirt, tucked it in, and pulled his suspenders on. He redressed fairly quickly and was up the ladder before Jessie had a chance to finish her search. He drank the last of his glass of wine and grabbed his things.

The armory was still fairly dirty. There was a wall of gun lockers, a few locked drawers with an alphanumeric coding system, a cabinet full of ammo, and a gun locker meant for small weapons. A narrow table was in the center of the room. It occurred to Jessie once she looked around the room that she should have asked what type of weapon 199-A2-96 was. She started with the small weapons gun locker, scanning the weapon labels for 199.

"Find it?" Jack asked. He was back in his street clothes and RAF coat. He smiled at her and headed for the larger weapons locker. "199-A2-96." He opened the second locker and pulled out two matching sleek rifles. "Pulse rifles from a future time."

"It fires an energy pulse?" Jessie asked. Jack checked out the weapons, making sure they weren't damaged.

"They sure do" Jack said with a big smile. He checked their cartridges and set them down so he could go over to the ammo cabinet. He pulled out two red curved rectangles and popped them into the rifles.

"That's like something out of a sci-fi novel" Jessie said.

"Yeah" Jack said with a smile. He reached under the table and pulled out a dirty old duffle bag. He shoved the guns in the duffle and went to the locked drawers. "Most of this seems right out of a sci-fi novel."

"I think that's why I'm okay with it" Jessie told him. She watched him pull out a few small things and toss them into the duffle before zipping it up. He stood up, grabbed the duffle bag, and stopped before Jessie.

"Once I'm done, how about I come back and we finish up that wine?" Jack asked. "I'll shut up if we watch another movie, I promise."

Jessie nodded before speaking. "Yeah-yes."

"Good" Jack replied. He leaned down, kissed her, and was hurrying off before she could say or do anything.


	7. Lurman Bounty Hunters

"I've been waiting" Brian said when Jack pulled up. Jack exited the SUV with the duffle bag.

"I brought toys if we need them" Jack said. "What can you tell from the readings?"

"All I can tell is that it was a big energy burst" Brian replied. "It's still lingering." Jack handed him a pulse rifle. "Where did you get this?"

"Out of storage" Jack replied. He grabbed the small things from the duffle bag, handing a small blue item to Brian.

"What is this?" Brian asked.

"Portable prison system" Jack said.

"Also found in storage?" Brian asked. He pocketed the blue device. Brian's phone beeped. "There's a shift in the energy. Let's go." Jack followed the short man into the forest. "We're heading towards the river, near the cricket center."

They barrelled through the trees and emerged on a trail. They ran west towards the river, crossing the canal, following the trail deeper into the woods. Cardiff Castle loomed just beyond the trees like a silent sentinel. Jack slowed only when Brian slowed and stopped.

"It's just up ahead" Brian said quietly. They crept down the path, using the trees and brush as cover. Just around the bend they could see a pinkish light emitting from something the size of a large dog bowl and two figures standing before it. One had a weapon ready and the other was checking a handheld device. "What do you want to do?"

"Say 'hi', of course" Jack said. He stepped out from behind a tree slowly. His arms were raised and his pulse rifle was raised with them. "Hello there!"

The two figures stopped what they were doing and aimed their weapons at Jack.

"I'm Captain Jack Harkness of Torchwood. Who are you?" Jack asked. He took a few more steps and stopped. Jack could see the humanoid figures. They both had 31st century hairstyles, orange tinted skin, and silver body suits. "You're Lurmans, aren't you?"

"How do you know about us, human?" The Lurman with the handheld device asked. Jack smiled.

"You could say that I'm not from around these parts" Jack replied. "I'm with Torchwood. We monitor all alien activity on Earth. Now I need to know, gentlemen: What do you want?"

"We are with the galactic federation" The Lurman with the green hair said. "We're looking for an escaped convict."

"You are bounty hunters" Jack said. He couldn't help but worry about who they were after. "Mind if I call my associate over?" Jack whistled and Brian came out from the woods. "Let's talk. Who is this escaped convict?"

"Who is this?" The green haired Lurman asked.

"Dr. March" Brian said. "Who are you?"

"You are the authorities for this planet?" The other Lurman asked. They lowered their weapons.

"Yes" Jack said.

"I am Wren" The green-haired Lurman said. He gestured towards his dark-haired partner. "This is my partner, Huapi."

"We're looking for an escaped convict who was traced back here" Huapi said. Huapi pulled out a piece of paper and gave it to Jack. It was a ghoulish looking man. He could have been a caricature of a stereotypical undertaker. Relief washed over him.

"I cannot say that I've seen him" Jack said passing the paper to Brian. Brian shook his head 'no' and passed it back to Huapi.

"I haven't had anything come up on my systems" Brian said. "Do you know his mode of transport?"

"Something like this" Wren said turning their device off and collecting it. "He stole one."

"That was picked up immediately, but I haven't see any energy signatures that were similar" Brian replied.

"We require a place to stay on our trip here" Wren announced.

"Oh boy" Brian scoffed.

"I can arrange that, but you have to be a little Earth-smart" Jack said. The two Lurmans looked at each other. "Earth is still turning a blind eye to aliens, for the most part. You also can't be flashing those weapons around."

"We will not allow you to take our weapons" Wren said defensively.

"It's fine" Jack said. "You should just carry them around in a bag or something. Also, silver is definitely not in this year."

"You're going to make this a long night" Brian said with a sigh.

"Gentlemen, welcome to Earth" Jack said with a smile.

* * *

Jack set the two Lurmans up with a double room in a small hotel in downtown Cardiff. The lady at the front desk had not been happy with him for the late-night booking. Brian had been sent to pick up a few items for the Lurmans, so they could fit in better in Cardiff. The Lurmans seemed a little unhappy with the room and the low-tech technology of the flatscreen and available wifi.

"What's the convict's name?" Jack asked looking at the picture again.

"Yesmir Roan" Wren replied. "He has a penchant for smelly foods."

"Like fish?" Jack asked.

"Perhaps rotting fish" Haupi replied.

"Let us check our system tonight" Jack said. "We can come back here in the morning and do some searching. We can work together on this."

The two Lurmans moved to huddle across the room, near the window. They talked to each other in whispers. It went on for a few minutes, giving Brian reason to hope they wouldn't be trouble.

"We will accept your offer" Wren said.

"What kind of communicators do you have?" Jack asked. He raised up his vortex manipulator and flipped it open. Haupi pulled out a silver brick device and slid it open. "Oh, the Dasr 355, nice. That model lasted a while." He pressed a button and it eventually beeped. "Alright, you should be able to contact us if you need to."

"Cardiff is pretty conservative" Brian said. "If you're walking around in silver, especially during the day, you're going to get looks." He pointed at the bags he had left by the door. "I brought you two some basic Earth clothes so you can fit in."

"Thank you, Doctor" Wren said.

"You two might enjoy the local nightlife around here" Jack said with a smile. "There's a bunch of places to visit in the area."

"Jack" Brian muttered. Brian smiled at the two alien bounty hunters. Jack gave him a confused shrug. Brian just rubbed his forehead. "Nothing. Wren, Haupi, it was wonderful meeting you. Jack and I will see you in the morning."

"Good sleep, Doctor" Wren replied.

"Yeah...Good sleep" Brian said.

Jack and Brian were heading back to their vehicles. They were both quiet until they were almost to Jack's SUV.

"Alien bounty hunters with bad tans?" Brian asked.

"They seem pretty nice and Lurmans are naturally a little orange-tinted" Jack said. Brian looked exhausted and tired of being left in the dark. "Look, they're Lurmans. The most we have to worry about is them spending the night partying and then nursing a bad hangover in the morning. Haupi looked almost like he just wanted to head to bed."

"Lurmans. Okay, okay" Brian said. "Where are you off to? Back to the warehouse?"

"I have some things to do" Jack replied. He opened the vehicle door and started getting in.

"Things or a certain person?" Brian asked.

"You are one feisty dwarf tonight, Brian" Jack said with a laugh. Brian flipped him off and stormed off towards his car, which was parked down the block.

* * *

Jack hurried back to the hub and found the majority of the lights turned down. He scanned the hub and climbed the stairs to his office. He was relieved to find Jessie lying on her cot with a book. She had changed into shorts and a t-shirt that fit her.

"Hey" Jack said with a smile. He was surprised that she wasn't asleep. He slipped out of his coat. "That took longer than I thought it would."

"That's fine" Jessie replied. "I finished up for tonight and took a shower."

"A shower sounds pretty good right now" Jack said. "Aren't you supposed keep your back dry?"

"I needed to shave my legs" Jessie said. "I wasn't going to go around like sasquatch-woman anymore. Besides, I haven't had a hot shower in long time."

"Cole won't be happy about that" Jack said. He crouched down near the cot. "What are you reading?"

"It's a William Blake collection" Jessie replied. She saved her spot and showed him the cover. "Do you like Blake?"

"I never met him" Jack said. "His work is a bit too religious for me."

Jessie's mouth pulled into a smirk and she set her book aside. "What did you find out there tonight?"

"Alien bounty hunters" Jack said. He stood up and started undoing his shirt buttons. "Brian and I dealt with it. They're in a hotel for the night and we're going to search for their escaped convict in the morning."

"Bounty hunters?" Jessie asked sitting up.

"They're not after you" Jack assured her. He pulled his suspenders down and took his button-up shirt off. "Still up for another movie or is it too late?"

"I want to try to sleep" Jessie said. "I feel like I haven't slept in a long time, like I've forgotten how to sleep."

"Well, for starters" Jack said moving to pull Jessie up from the cot. "You shouldn't sleep on that cot." He pulled her along with him. "You should sleep down in the hatch with me." He raised his hands in a natural nothing-down-my-sleeve gesture. "I won't do anything. We will just sleep."

"That sounds like a line" Jessie replied following him towards the hatch.

"It might be" Jack said. "But, tonight, it isn't. C'mon. I have a big bed down there, fresh sheets, and I promise it's safe."

Jessie stopped close to Jack, close enough that they slightly brushed against one another. "I don't sleep much and I don't sleep well."

"I don't mind" Jack said. He started to reach for her, but she moved to the hatch and started climbing down.

"I won't lie" Jessie said on her way down. "I considered sleeping down here once or twice, but I never did." She exhaled loudly when she left the ladder. "It seems so long ago."

"Only a day or two by my count" Jack said moving down the ladder. Jessie ran her hands over her forehead and hair, silently dealing with the odd time issues. Jack got to the bottom of the ladder and moved around the brunette. He started with his boots, taking them off and placing them in a spot where his boots fit perfectly. Jessie sat on the bed and watched him undo his pants.

"So...who are the bounty hunters?" Jessie asked. Jack turned his back to Jessie and slid his pants off. He had a nice, firm butt that Jessie noted as being like Myron's The Discus Thrower. She had seen it at the British Museum and she could recall the statue, the room, the sounds, the smells, and the fine details.

"-are Lurmans" Jack said. Jessie blinked rapidly and mentally kicked herself for zoning out. He had pulled on a pair of boxers. "They look pretty human, but kind of...well, I guess you could say '1980s futuristic' with bold colors and sometimes just hideous fashions." Jack pulled his socks off and moved to the bed. "I've never met a completely terrible Lurman, maybe a bit childish, but never terrible."

Jessie moved towards the far side of the bed. "I wonder who they're after."

"Don't worry about it tonight" Jack urged. He watched Jessie turn onto her stomach and position the pillow to best suit her needs. Her lip twitched as she got into place. "Do you want anything for your back? I'm sure there's some advil or something."

"I'm good" Jessie replied. Jack laid down and watched her.

"You're lying" Jack stated. "I can see it in your face."

"It hurts every time" Jessie muttered. "It's become pain I can deal with."

Jack leaned over and kissed her shoulder. "Get some sleep."

* * *

The Cardiff morning was drizzly and grey, like many normal Welsh mornings. The Torchwood team looked like a band of outcasts thrown out in the wet, cold morning. Jack stood there in his blue RAF coat with Jessie next to him in her dark plaid retro coat, her hair pinned up in a crown of braids on her head. Brian stood in front of them, to get a better look, hands shoved into a buttoned-up pea coat. His blonde hair tousled in the wind. Ritha had changed her appearance to resemble a mediterranean-skinned human and wore a modest red wig. She was bundled up in a dark grey trench coat and stood close to Cole, who wore a fitted leather jacket and a burgundy beanie. They all stood waiting for the two Lurmans to finish their scans of the bloody body of a rough-looking fisherman. His stomach had been ripped open and his soft organs...eaten. Torchwood had been given access to the body by the police, who were currently keeping a few locals and tourists at bay.

"This was definitely done by Yasmir Roan" Wren confirmed. He, and Haupi, were dressed in the basic clothes that Brian had brought them. The only thing strange about them were their hairstyles and the visor glasses that Wren insisted upon wearing.

"This was reported this morning, not long ago" Cole said. "I bet Roan is still around here."

"Cole, take Ritha and Haupi" Jack ordered. "Be careful. This guy might look fragile, but he's not."

"I'll go down a block and make my way through the alleys" Brian said.

"I'll join you, little doctor" Wren said pulling a gun from his generic looking brown coat.

They hurried off, but not before Brian could be heard saying "Don't call me 'little'. Just or Brian is fine."

"Come with me" Jack said to Jessie. They hurried into the closest alley with guns ready.

* * *

Cole, Ritha, and Haupi hurried down to the waterfront to began their search. Despite the rain, there were still people walking about and a few tourists taking pictures of boats. The waterfront shops, on this side of the harbor were plentiful for only a block or two and then gave way to the warehouses of the fishing industry. The smell of fish and sea water was hard to miss.

"That smell would definitely attract the criminal" Haupi said as they hurried towards the more industrial area.

"Ugh" Ritha said as they got closer. "I find it very off-putting."

"Hopefully he hasn't figured out how to access the sewer system" Cole said. They hurried towards a warehouse where a ship was currently unloading an early haul of kippers.

* * *

Winding through the alleys, Brian and Wren slowly scanned the area for signs of alien tech. Wren had his Dasr 355 open and was waiting for a beep.

"You're sure that he has tech on him?" Brian asked.

"He wouldn't ditch his only way on and off the planet" Wren replied. "Unless it was broken."

Brian kept his gun in hand. Wren had told him how Yasmir Roan had sharp, claw-like hands and that he was very fast. Brian had images in his mind of an evil version of the Flash, mixed with the image he had seen of Roan. Brian waited for Wren to finish his scan of the area and kicked himself for having butterflies in his stomach. He had been working with Jack long enough that he should be used to this by now.

"I'm detecting something, but it could easily be Captain Harkness if he's close to us" Wren said.

"Where is it coming from?" Brian asked. Wren pointed somewhat down the alley and somewhat at the warehouse they were next to. "Let's get started."

* * *

Jack and Jessie were making their way through the alleyway, a few blocks from Brian and Wren. They worked together checking the alley, "clearing" the alley as the police might say. All they had done was scare off two homeless kids who didn't stick around to answer any questions. Jack had instructed Jessie to make sure the corners were clear before moving into a new space. They moved quickly and quietly.

"What's in this warehouse?" Jessie asked. The brick-sided building was dirty and that dingey color between brown and grey. The second and third floors had numerous windows coated in grime, and for a moment, Jessie thought she saw someone walk past a window on the second floor.

"Nothing right now" Jack said. "A few of these places have been empty for a few years."

"I think someone is on the second floor of this building" Jessie said gesturing up to the window. "I thought I saw someone."

Jack looked up but saw no one. It was hard to see anything through the windows with the drizzle and poor lighting from the overcast day. It was mostly reflections of the sky.

"You sure?" Jack asked.

"Not 100%" Jessie replied. "Jack, if this place is empty, it wouldn't be a bad spot to hide out. It's near everything and it's tucked away."

Jack still hadn't seen anything, but that didn't mean that Jessie was wrong. He hurried over to a door and pulled on it, but it was locked tight. Up high was an old escape ladder with stairs leading up to the roof of the building and landings at each floor. Jack holstered his weapon and held knitted hands together to make a foothold.

"C'mon" Jack said. Jessie holstered her weapon and hurried to get a boost up. Jessie felt her hands grip the cold metal of the old ladder and she hung there for second. She was about to say something when she felt the metal give and the ladder shifted down with a horrendous metal squeal. It jerked to a stop about four feet from the ground and Jessie couldn't help but fall off.

"Great" Jessie grumbled. "I think the whole country heard that."

Jack started scurrying up the ladder. "I think I saw him!"

"Right behind you" Jessie said following him up.

* * *

Brian and Wren glanced at each other when they heard the metallic clabber. They hurried to find their way towards the noise. Wren's Dasr 355 beeped as they passed a garbage collection area and headed out to the street.

"Just ahead of us" Wren said. The building before them had an old sign that was mostly worn off that read 'Broughton & Co. Maritime Fabrication'. The windows on the ground floor were boarded over and the main doors had chains around the handles.

"Let's find a point of entry" Brian said. They followed the building, looking for a way in. Brian pulled out his mobile and dialed Cole. "Cole, we're at the old Broughton & Co building. We think we have something."

* * *

Jack and Jessie entered the Broughton warehouse through a window that had already been broken. The warehouse was dark and dusty. The smell of grease, welding machinery, and dried fish lingered in the stale shop, along with the smell of death.

"Oh god" Jessie said covering her nose. "That's ripe."

"No kidding" Jack replied. "Let's find this guy fast." Jack looked over the railing and around at the warehouse. It seemed still. "I'm heading to the right, you take the left."

"Where are we meeting?" Jessie asked.

"Wherever we find each other" Jack answered. They both had their guns drawn as they hurried to find the gaunt figure they had caught a glimpse of. Jack felt the familiar feeling of excitement as he made his way down the warehouse second floor mezzanine. It was closely followed by a slight nausea due to the awful smell. Jack gave a quick snort to try clearing his nose of the smell, but it was to no avail.

Jack passed old workstations and supply rooms. They were either too dark or too dusty, showing a lack of any disturbance. The mezzanine was open to the floor below where a few welding stations were located, along with various machines for fabricating, a line of rollers to help move heavy things, a large ship propeller that was torn and twisted, and a large boat winch. Jack would move fifty feet or so, then check to see if there was movement either above or below him. He did this a few times before he was tackled from behind, hitting his chin on the railing.

Thin, strong hands pressed down on his back. Jack made an aggravated noise and tried turning over so he could at least face his attacker. The Jack felt one hand move from his back and start tearing at the hand that held his gun. His gun was thrown down the dark hallway.

"Hey!" Jessie shouted from somewhere across the building. Jack was turned over and found himself looking into the dreadful face of Yasmir Roan. His skin was yellowed and everything was sunken in, so his skull stood prominently beneath his skin. He was very thin, almost skeletal, but quite strong. One of Roan's hands held tight to Jack's collar and for a moment, Jack was lifted slightly towards Roan. Jack screamed when he felt Roan's hand tear into his side.

Two rounds were fired and they sounded almost fake, like loud pops, in the warehouse. Roan was hit in the shoulder and fell off Jack long enough for Jack to roll over in agonizing pain. Jack felt sweat grace his brow and tears stream from his eyes. He couldn't bring himself to stand up.

"Jack!" Jessie yelled. He heard her, but wasn't looking her way. She sounded so distant. There was another shot fired and Jack was sure that he saw Roan duck out of the way. Was he that fast or was it just good timing on his part? Jack groaned and rolled onto his stomach. He could feel himself slowly healing. He stood up in time to see Roan take two quick jabs from Jessie. The tall, gaunt figure bent over and picked her up before moving to toss her aside like she weighed nothing.

"No!" Jack screamed. Jessie was over the railing and he couldn't do a damned thing from where he was. Roan turned towards him and gave him a smiling grimace. "You're going to pay for that."

"I doubt it" Roan grumbled. His voice was eerie and instantly sent a shiver down Jack's back. "I'll eat your guts and drink your blood."

"Well" Jack said angrily. "I am a tasty piece of man-meat."

Jack had crept forward a few steps, getting closer to the workstations where he had seen a large pair of pliers. He waited a moment, daring Roan to move first, and rushed to the workstation. He was relieved when he grasped the oversized pliers and felt even better when he brought them down across Roan's face. He did it again and again, until blood appeared on the criminal's alien face. A thin hand clung to Jack's leg and, all too quickly, the other thin hand of Roan tried digging into his soft parts again. Jack felt sharp pain in his lower right side before the thud of the floor on his backside. He kicked his boots into Roan's face as best as he could.

"Jack!" Ritha screamed from the window. Cole seemed to jump through the window and almost immediately opened fire on Roan. Haupi was beside him doing the same until Roan collapsed halfway on Jack. Wren and Brian ran up the main mezzanine stairs with their guns ready. Ritha ran over to Jack. "Jack, are you alright?" Her eyes widened at the amount of blood on his clothing. "Cole, he's bleeding out!"

"Where's Jess?" Jack asked. "Jess!" Jack groaned and held onto his midsection. "Get this bastard off of me."

Wren and Haupi stepped up and pulled Roan off of Jack. His blood, in the poor light, looked black. His face was twisted into a hideous snarl. Cole knelt down next to Jack to look at his wounds. Jack pushed him away and sat up on his elbows. It hurt like hell because he wasn't healed. He was shocked when he saw a pale hand barely reach over the floor of the mezzanine. It felt around and slid back down.

"Brian, help her" Jack grunted. Brian looked around and saw the pale hand reappear. He set his gun aside when he knelt down and clasped her hand and wrist.

"I got you!" Brian said. "Ritha!"

"Cole, just leave me alone" Jack said pushing his hands away. Ritha hurried over to Brian and helped him pull up Jessie.

"You are heavy" Ritha complained as Jessie's torso was pulled up onto the mezzanine. Brian grabbed her butt and leg, pulling her fully onto the mezzanine.

"How'd you get down there?" Brian asked. Jessie was holding one hand to her chest.

"That asshole threw me over" Jessie replied. "I caught myself on a support, but I broke a finger in the process."

"Let me see" Brian said. Jessie held out her hand and Brian made a face. Her ring finger was bent at an awkward angle. "Cole!"

"I'm not hurt that bad" Jack insisted. Cole gave him a frown and went to look at Jessie's finger. Jack managed to stand up and felt a little winded.

"I can fix this at the SUV, but for right now" Cole said looking her hand over. He tried blocking her view as best he could, then reset the finger. Jessie cried out and pulled her hand away. "How's your back?"

"I'm sure it's fine" Jessie said moving to stand up, out of Cole's reach.

"Captain Harkness" Wren said. "We want to thank you for your assistance."

"You're quite welcome" Jack said. The team watched as the two Lurmans took hold of the dead man and pulled their transport device out. Haupi pressed a button, they each held onto it, and bright light encapsulated them.

"Bye" Brian called out as they faded. The smell of ozone was present for a moment after they were gone, but the foul stench of the warehouse quickly overpowered it.

"You okay?" Jack asked Jessie. She nodded 'yes'. "Did anyone see bodies around here?"

"There are a few on the ground floor" Brian replied. "Wren and I found them in a bloody heap."

"The smell is worse in here than out by the docks" Ritha said. Even through her human guise she looked a little green.

"I want to get out of here" Jack said. "Someone call Andy so the police can clean this mess up."

* * *

As soon as everyone was back at the Torchwood warehouse, they dispersed to their office areas. Ritha insisted that their clothes stank and barricaded herself in her office with three candles going. Brian grabbed a cup of coffee before heading to finish going through database 1 and to write up his own report of the incident. Jessie had received a call as they pulled into the warehouse.

"I told you mon-a while ago-that I decided to move here" Jessie spat over her cellphone. Jack watched her. She was oblivious to the others. "Paul, if you don't back the fuck off, I won't write another book." Jack could hear the angry tone of the man on the other side, but couldn't quite hear him. He had a good idea of what was being said though. "I don't know what your problem is! I just finished up two books before my trip."

"I want to see that finger" Cole said after stepping right in front of Jessie. She held up the hand with the broken finger and headed for her office so she could finish talking to her agent. Cole looked at Jack, feeling a bit brushed-off. "Americans are so bloody rude."

"She's on the phone, Cole" Jack said. "I need to go change. I believe blood and gore is a fashion faux-pas."

"I want to see you too" Cole called after him. Jack gave him a wink and hurried down to the sub-basement. "Can't anyone be serious in regards to medical care?"

* * *

Jack stood in his office, changing his shirt and watching a security monitor that was always on. A car had stopped in front of the warehouse and a man snapped a quick photo from inside the car before slowly driving away. Jack peeled his button-up shirt off and then his undershirt. The vehicle drove off the monitor. Jack pulled a clean undershirt on and saw the car, heading back towards the main road, come back on the screen and stop.

The man wore sunglasses and was far enough away that most details were lost. He seemed to have short hair, a square face, a barrel-chested build, and something dangling from his rearview mirror. Jack didn't recognize him and that made him worry. He pulled on a fresh button-up shirt and let his fingers do the work while keeping his eyes on the monitor. Questions ran through his mind. Who was this man? Why was he taking pictures? Did he know that they were Torchwood?

Jack took down the license plate and finished with his shirt. His phone rang and he answered it. "Hey Andy."

* * *

"You would think that getting a finger reset and put into a cast would be a high priority" Cole muttered as he wrapped gauze around Jessie's hand. She sat in her trousers and a striped shirt, not looking amused at the short cast Cole was insistent upon. His hair was still poking out from under his beanie hat. It looked ridiculous with the lab coat he had on. He liked wearing his lab coat though. It was his badge, a showing of his efforts, a display of his medical profession.

"Don't I just need one of those finger splint things?" Jessie asked.

"No" Cole replied. "You're obviously prone to bodily harm, so the cast goes on."

"I'm not prone to bodily harm" Jessie said cooly. "This is the first broken bone I've ever had."

"That sounds like a load of rubbish. It only has to be on for a week" Cole said. "Then, I'll check it to see where we go from there. You might have a splint after that."

"Super" Jessie mumbled. Cole rolled his stool back to the counter and grabbed a black roll of casting tape from a bowl of cool water.

"You realize that you did a really good job with that finger, right?" Cole asked. He got the tape started and began wrapping the gauze under-wrapping. Jessie didn't looked amused. "I read one of your books. It was a while ago. It wasn't bad, but I'm more of a Stephen King sort of guy."

"Which one?" Jessie asked. The cast went from her forearm, around the main section of her hand, and around her last two fingers.

" _The Inn on Maiden's Heart Road_ " Cole replied. It was Jessie's second book. Cole cut pieces of the fiberglass casting tape to form stronger sections, to prevent mobility until the finger was healed. "It felt like you were trying a little too hard with that novel."

"I was" Jessie replied. "It was my second book and I rushed it. The next one, _From The Mountaintop_ , was better."

"Maybe I'll give it a read" Cole said. He finished wrapping the arm and fingers, and began smoothing the casting tape to make sure it was properly sealed. "The cast needs to set up for a few minutes." He stood up and started putting things away. "I heard you have a few new books in the works."

"My agent has two new books that I finished before my trip here" Jessie said. "They will probably come out in a few months or something."

"Is that who you were on the phone with earlier?" Cole asked.

"Yes" Jessie replied.

"Everything okay?" Cole asked. Jessie's mouth thinned for a moment.

"It's none of your business" Jessie said. Cole shrugged.

"Whatever, just making small talk" Cole said. "You can go, just do yourself a favor and don't do anything to that cast for the next 10 minutes."

"No problem" Jessie replied hopping down from the medical bed. "Thanks for the cast, Cole."


	8. Peter Hawke

By the time evening had rolled around, each member of the Torchwood team had turned in their reports of the incident and had left. Ritha had disappeared into her small living space by 4pm to grab a shower, still insisting that she could smell the warehouse on her skin. Jack was on monitoring duty for the night and let out a sigh. He was hoping to find a tech person who could set up work on setting things up as they had once been. He didn't mention names to himself, but he could see Tosh's face smiling at him.

"Oh boy" Jack said sitting at his computer. He was down to his undershirt and a pair of track pants. He turned some music on, desperate to occupy his mind with sound rather than memories. The sub-basement was dim, lit enough to get around. Jack liked it that way. It seemed cozy, easier to work. Jack let his fingers dance along his keyboard and stared at his screen as he brought up the license plate of...Peter Hawke. "Peter Hawke. Who are you Peter?"

His driving record stated that he was 6'3", 220lbs, brown hair, brown eyes, perfect vision, and was also able to drive a motorcycle. Jack saved the information, along with the address that appeared. He jumped onto social media and started a public search. He found him quickly. Peter worked as a programmer, mostly from home. A quick scan of Peter's social media showed that he was into powerlifting, watching sports, trying new beer, reading science fiction and fantasy novels, and had a love for board games. Jack skimmed through pictures of Peter. He didn't seem to have any lovers, but he had three friends that he regularly hung around.

"Awfully social for a computer nerd" Jack mused. He dug around a little more and found that Peter had a bachelor's of science degree in computers and mathematics from the University of Exeter. He had been picked up before graduation to work for a major bank. He still worked for them, but had climbed the corporate ladder enough that he was able to work from home on most days.

Jack's phone rang. He kept reading as he answered it.

"I wanted to give you an update on the hub" Jessie said. "I can't get any of the computers to work properly, but I am picking up a signal from a server that is still online somewhere."

"There's a working server there?" Jack asked.

"I think it's some kind of emergency back up system" Jessie replied. "I haven't been able to find a bunch of information, but I do have access to one security camera."

"Is that it?" Jack asked. He pulled up the police database and started searching through it.

"There is something called ASYLUM that I can't access" Jessie said. "And there's also something called FLOCK-someone is outside."

"ASYLUM and FLOCK require top clearance to access" Jack replied. "Are they trying to break in?"

"No" Jessie replied. "Just sitting on a bench with a cup of coffee."

"Human?" Jack asked.

"As far as I can tell" Jessie replied. "I'll let you go, Jack. I'm giving tonight a rest on the cleaning."

"Call me if you need to" Jack said. He hung up and gave the computer a disappointed look. Peter Hawke was clean, not even a traffic ticket. Jack was starting to get an idea of Peter. He was social, more focused on work and friends than having a love life, he was honest, and strived to have all of his shit taken care of. It looked, as far as Jack could tell, that he was a straight-lace sort of guy. He paid his bills on time, worked a little too much, and was responsible for himself. Jack respected that in this day and age.

Jack leaned back and looked around his office, trying to let his mind wander. He stood up and walked around, picking up papers and setting them down, straightening his guest chair, picking up a paper wad that had missed the bin. He needed someone like this Peter Hawke on the team.

* * *

Jessie had found a back storage room in the basement of the hub and was slowly going through it. She had Brian on her mobile and he was in the middle of talking physics that was mostly beyond her. The storage area was, for the most part, set up with a digital locking system.

"Brian?" Jessie said interrupting him. "Sorry to interrupt, but do you know anything about digital locking systems?"

"Not much, why?" Brian asked. Jessie looked at the long room, it looked like an old abandoned tube line that had been converted to hold special things...special things in locked boxes.

"No reason" Jessie replied. She found an area, just slightly tucked away, that was full of filing cabinets and open shelving. There was a small table with a lamp, plug-ins for a computer, and a chair. She opened the filing cabinet and started fingering through the files.

"Would you like to grab dinner with me?" Brian asked. Jessie pulled out a folder with a complex alphanumeric code on the tab.

"I've already eaten" Jessie replied. The file contained information on a man named James Stevens and his link to the Kennedy assassination in America.

"Drinks?" Brian asked.

"No thanks" Jessie said. "On Database 1, have you come across any information on a storage facility? Something with files and physical items in storage?"

"No, I haven't" Brian said. He paused for a moment. "Where are you?"

"Nowhere in particular" Jessie replied putting the file away.

"I could track your phone" Brian told her.

"I'm on a special assignment" Jessie lied. "I don't need you to track me down." She could hear him typing over the phone. "Brian, just leave it."

"What about drinks tomorrow after work?" Brian asked. Jessie found files on the various branches of Torchwood, last updated only a few years prior.

"What?" Jessie asked absently. There were a number of different branches and the thick file held a list of employees going back, Jessie thumbed through the file, to the 1800s. "Geez."

"What are you doing? I'm asking you out on a date" Brian said over the phone. Jessie took a deep breath and stretched her neck.

"I don't care to date co-workers" Jessie replied. When had she started lying so much? She frowned at herself and continued going through the file.

"I just do-" Brian said.

"What the heck?" Jessie interrupted. Jack's name was listed in the early part of the file. She flipped ahead to the next roster and he was there again. "Brian, I have to go."

"What are you doing?" Brian demanded.

"How much do you know about Torchwood, Brian?" Jessie asked. Roster after roster of the Cardiff branch of Torchwood contained Jack's name.

"Enough, why?" Brian asked.

"I'm doing some research. I'll fill you in later, I promise" Jessie said. "I need to go."

Brian began protesting and was cut off by Jessie ending the call. Her curiosity was piqued and as a writer she was naturally more curious than she should have been. She had a long night ahead of her and a plethora of files to wade through.

* * *

Hours had passed. Jessie had ventured upstairs only to use the bathroom a few times and to make some tea. It hadn't taken her too long to figure out the filing code, once she had it, it seemed utterly simple. She had read through the general file on Torchwood and had moved on to find Jack's file. It was thick from over a century of time put in and it read like some kind of action-science fiction novel. There were a few loose photos from different decades that Jessie had set aside.

"Having a good read?" An angry voice said from directly behind her. Jessie looked up from the file and turned around. She had nearly spilled her tea in surprise.

"I didn't hear you come in" Jessie said with her voice caught in her throat. Jack had a frown on his face and a pissed off look in his eye. Jessie turned around, quickly closing the file. "I can just put this back."

Jack's hand slammed down on the file and Jessie could feel him partially leaning against her. "I didn't give you permission to be down here." He peered at the file tab. "I especially didn't give you permission to go through MY old file. I should wipe your memory of the night."

"That didn't work last time" Jessie replied in a whisper. She swallowed when Jack pulled the file out from under her hands. Her cast hit the table lightly. Jessie turned and watched Jack put the file away.

"Brian called me" Jack said. He slammed the filing cabinet shut.

"It's been a few hours since I talked to Brian" Jessie replied. She wanted to ask why it had taken him so long to get to the hub, but at the same time she couldn't bring herself to ask it. Jack stepped towards her until he was invasive. He was boring holes in her head with his gaze, daring her to talk. She clenched her jaw and met his gaze. After a moment, her jaw relaxed and her lip twitched. "It was interesting reading material."

"God dammit, Jess!" Jack yelled. "That's a private file! Not for your eyes! It's even stamped 'Confidential'!"

His yelling, even in her face, didn't phase her. Instead, her eyes moved to watch his mouth, even when he had stopped yelling. She slowly raised her good hand towards Jack and he smacked it away. He looked as if he was about to verbally protest, but held his tongue. Jessie raise her hand again and touched Jack's chest.

"You have led a very interesting life, Jack Harkness" Jessie whispered. He stood up straight and took a half-step back. Jessie dropped her hand and felt as if she was able to take a deep breath again. "You've lived so long and have done so much. I-I-I-" She looked down, searching for the right words. "I'm honored that you want me in Torchwood to work alongside you."

"Honored?" Jack asked as if he wasn't expecting that word. Jessie nodded. It was then that she realized that he was in a t-shirt and track pants under a bomber coat. It was the most relaxed she had seen him with the exception of him from the night before. Jack jabbed a finger into her chest. "Let me tell you something. I've done bad things to people for less." He lifted her chin, forcing her to look at him. "I take a violation of privacy extremely seriously."

"If it was such an issue" Jessie said sharply. "You should have locked this area up, barricaded it, told me not to come down here." She grabbed his wrist with her good hand and pushed his fingers from her chin. "You know I've been cleaning up around here and going through things. You didn't think I'd find this stuff?"

Jack stepped forward, his mouth desperately and roughly seeking Jessie's. He pushed her against the table so she ended up sitting on the edge. He kissed her with the same fury that a dehydrated man in a desert has for newly found water. Jessie grabbed onto his jacket, pulling him closer to her. He responded with a grunt and leaned her back on the table.

"Jack" Jessie whispered. He tilted his head to move his mouth along her jawline. "Can we go upstairs?"

Jack didn't say anything. He simply stood up and helped her from the table. They made it to the stairs before Jack pushed her up against the wall for a moment. After a few kisses, he pulled her upstairs, up towards his old office. By the time they got upstairs, Jack had her shirt off and his jacket off. He broke apart from her long enough to strip his t-shirt off.

"Up against the desk" Jack ordered. He positioned her, facing him, with her butt against the edge of the desk, and then he slid down, undoing her pants. He slid them down, immediately nipping at her bare thigh. Her shoes hit the floor with a thud when he tossed them over his shoulder. He nearly growled when he looked up at her. He slid his hands up her legs and followed them up. He was met with Jessie's good hand pulling him in for a kiss.

* * *

Jack roamed around the hub in his flannel pants. It was cool at night in the old Torchwood lair. Jessie was on the couch happily watching an old spy film while typing away on her laptop. Jack found the wine from the night before and brought it over. They had spent an hour and a half on his desk, on the couch, and down the hatch on his bed. For being weird about sexual advances and romantic inquiries, Jessie knew what she was doing. Jack smiled as he thought about it. He heard his phone ring and he sought out his jacket.

"Hello?" Jack said. He searched around for clean glasses.

"I don't know what the hell is going on, but you had better start filling me in" Brian said on the other end of the phone.

"What are you talking about?" Jack asked.

"I traced a phone call to Jessie a few hours ago" Brian said. "For the last, almost two hours, you've been there." Brian paused briefly. "I decided to see if I could figure out what the hell is going on. It's funny, Jack. I'm here are Mermaid Quay and I don't see where you two could be. I've also been watching some guy just sitting on a bench. He's been there since before I showed up. Where are you? What the hell is going on?"

Jack had found two whiskey glasses in his desk drawer during Brian's outburst. "We're working on something." Jack opened the wine and started filling the whiskey glasses. "Jessie lives around Mermaid Quay. Who's the guy you've been surveilling?"

"He's tall and pretty thick in the body" Brian replied. "I'm too far away for particular details. He's gone over to the coffee shop a few times presumably to use the loo and for more coffee."

Jack covered the mobile microphone and yelled over to Jessie. "Jess, pull up the security feed." Jack spoke into the phone. "It might be our new friend."

"Friend?" Brian asked.

"We've had a curious cat checking out Torchwood" Jack replied. "I saw him over at the warehouse and in the crowd this morning."

"I have it" Jessie called out. Jack got up with the wine and went to look at the footage. There in the single camera available was Peter Hawke. Jessie took her wine with a smile.

"Brian, his name is Peter Hawke" Jack said. "He is a computer whiz." Jack sat down next to Jessie. "I'm looking a bit rough. Do you think you can approach him and bring him in?"

"Back to the warehouse?" Brian asked.

"Nope" Jack replied. "You're at the quay. Go down towards the docks and you'll find an old tourist information spot that is in poor condition. I'll have it unlocked. There's a doorway behind a bookcase. Just come on down and make sure you lock the doors behind you."

"Down by the docks" Brian repeated. "I'll see you in a while."

"If he's not buying what we're selling" Jack said. "He's going to have to be retconned. I have some here." Jack set his mobile aside, the call ended, and leaned over to kiss the woman beside him. "We're going to have guests."

"I'll put something professional on" Jessie replied. Jack handed her his glass and then moved her laptop to the floor. "What are you doing?"

"We have a little time" Jack said taking his wine back. "I think we should make the best of it."

* * *

Brian took his time walking over to the bench where Peter sat. It was windy enough and wet enough to not be an ideal evening to be sitting outside. Brian shoved his hands into his pea coat. He could see the old tourist information shop that Jack had spoken of. There was graffiti across the boarded up windows and on the door. Trash was piled up in the corners.

"Evening" Brian said as he sat on the bench. Peter gave him a nod. They could hear the water from the bay, but at 10pm, it was too dark to see anything. "Coffee seems like a good idea in this weather."

"Warms you up" Peter replied. He kept an eye on the small man.

"We've been watching you watching us at Torchwood" Brian said calmly. The big man stiffened a little. "I'm just here to chat."

"You've seen me?" Peter asked.

"What are you doing, ?" Brian asked. "This stuff we do, it's dangerous. What are you looking for?"

"How do I know this isn't some kind of rouse?" Peter asked. "Who are you?"

" " Brian replied holding his hand out. Peter shook his hand. "Peter, who else has come out here tonight? Who else has approached you?"

"No one" Peter said.

"Exactly" Brian said. "No one else is looking, but we see things that other people over look."

"With everything that's happened" Peter started. "I don't believe the news or the government press releases. It took some hard digging, but I found you."

"What could you offer? We're a small operation" Brian replied. Peter reached into his coat and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He handed it to Brian. "What's this?"

"That's just a bit of information" Peter replied. The paper had a few columns of numbers, a repeating pattern except for two numbers.

"What is this?" Brian asked. "What are these numbers?"

"There's a military group that has been monitoring this particular area of Cardiff. These are their daily readings, just for one day" Peter replied.

"Energy readings?" Brian asked. "And these spikes?"

"Not sure about those" Peter said. "What I can do is get back into that system and pull information."

"This is very interesting" Brian said. "How about we go warm up a little bit?"

* * *

Jack was just pulling up his suspenders when Brian and Peter came into the hub. Jessie had dressed in simple trousers and a soft blue shirt. She threw her hair into a chignon, while pinning the front in a wave, framing her face in her usual vintage way. Jack came down from his office with his glass of wine in hand.

"Our guest has arrived" Jack said. He held out his hand. "Captain Jack Harkness."

"Peter Hawke" Peter said shaking Jack's hand.

"Bachelors of science in computers and mathematics from Exeter" Jack recalled. "6'2", powerlifter, clean background."

"You have noticed me" Peter said. He looked over at Brian, then around the hub.

"This place is in the middle of a remodel, of sorts, so mind the rubble" Jack said. Jessie watched from Jack's office.

"Who's that?" Peter asked pointing up at her. Brian rolled his eyes. _Of course,_ he thought, _she's got to be with Jack. No room for the likes of me._

"That" Jack said glancing up at Jessie. "Is Jessie Butler."

"The author?" Peter asked. "I thought she was American."

"She is" Brian said. "She's the newest member."

"This is Torchwood" Peter said mostly to himself. Brian held out the paper that Peter had handed him, to Jack.

"Peter has obtained energy readings from the military" Brian said. Jack sipped his wine and looked at the paper.

"Energy spikes" Jack noted. "Was there more information?"

"Loads of it" Peter replied. "I want to join up."

"I don't know if there's room for you" Jack said eyeing the big man before him. "And your very broad shoulders."

"C'mon, Jack" Brian said at Jack's remark. Jack smiled and winked flirtatiously.

"I can do little things for you" Peter offered. "I need to work for you." Jack looked at Brian, who looked interested. "There are too many unanswered questions."

"Hello" Jessie said coming down the stairs and over to the three men. She shook Peter's hand when she stopped beside Jack.

"I'm a big fan Miss Butler" Peter said with a smile.

"Thanks" Jessie replied with a big smile, emphasized by newly applied red lipstick. "We've seen you about." Jack leaned over and whispered in her ear, then slapped her butt. She gave him a little punch in the arm. "Come with me, Peter."

Jessie walked with Peter around the perimeter of the hub. As soon as she was far away enough, Brian crossed his arms and glared at Jack. "You couldn't give me a shot with her?"

"You were interested?" Jack asked.

"I asked her out on a date earlier tonight" Brian replied.

"Any time you want to join us, just let me know. Manchester" Jack said with a wink. Brian rolled his eyes. Their Manchester trip had been something that Brian had never told anyone about.

"When were you going to tell me about this place? This is the Torchwood storage you occasionally mention, isn't it?" Brian asked.

"It's Torchwood 3, or was" Jack said. "We just call it 'the hub'. A bomb went off. Jess has been renovating."

"Torchwood 3?" Brian asked. "What number are we?"

"Five? Five is an excellent number" Jack waved Jessie and Peter back over. "Peter, the offer is out on the table. Interested?"

"Yes, I-Wait, why are you saying it like that?" Peter asked.

"You work solely for me when you work here" Jack said. "Your life will revolve around work. It's dangerous. You'll see things that will scar you for life. You could even die."

"Can I still enter the powerlifting competitions?" Peter asked. "I do that with my mates."

Jack smiled. "Sure."

"I'm in" Peter said with a big goofy smile. He even reached out and grabbed Jack's hand, shaking it wildly.

"Can I get you anything to drink?" Jack asked. Jessie gave him a confused look, but said nothing. Brian raised one of his crossed arms and waved Jack's question aside.

"I'm going to escort Peter out of here" Brian said. Jack pulled a flash drive and a key from his pocket and handed them to Brian. The drive was labeled 'database 3', the key 'dock'.

"Have a good night" Jack said as the two left. Jack placed his hand on Jessie's waist and they headed back up to the office. "I have something I need you to do."

"If it has to do with my lipstick" Jessie said. "It takes a while for it to wear off."

"Oh" Jack said with a slightly surprised laugh. "I guess we're going to have to test out how long it really lasts."

* * *

Jack and Jessie walked into the Torchwood warehouse around 5am with a bag of food from a cafe. Jessie had her laptop in a bag slung across her shoulders. The warehouse was dark and quiet. Jack flipped the hallway lights on and Jessie headed for the kitchen to get some coffee started. Jack followed her to her office, watching her set up her laptop while he pulled out their breakfast from the bag.

"You didn't get much sleep last night" Jack said. He unwrapped a breakfast sandwich and took a bite.

"Clinical insomnia" Jessie replied reaching for a takeout bowl. She opened it up revealing an egg-veggie-meat scramble.

"Do you need something for that?" Jack asked. "I bet Cole could-"

"I'm good" Jessie said digging into her eggs. Jack raised an eyebrow. "I have high dosage melatonin, I just haven't taken it in months. It's fine. I'm used to it." Jessie leaned back in her chair and scratched her back. "These stitches are itchy."

"They're healing" Jack replied. He moved towards the door. "I'm going to go change. I'll bring you a cup of coffee."

Jessie unpacked her laptop and pulled three magazines out from the bag as well. She tossed them on the edge of her barren desk and felt that she was finally giving herself a presence in the warehouse. The walls were still blank and it made her anxious. It felt like some kind library space or something rather clinical, despite her three magazines. She waited for her laptop to come on and took a bite of her scramble. Perhaps she needed a plant. Plants were always good. She logged into her computer and brought up her internet browser. It occurred to her that she might not want to do her usual thing of checking her email or social media or anything from the warehouse.

Jack came in bearing coffee. He had changed into a blue shirt, black pants, and a black vest.

"Thank you" Jessie said with a smile. Maybe she needed her own mug for the office. "That shirt matches your eyes."

"Why do you think I have it?" Jack said with chuckle. He shut the office door and sat in the guest chair. "Can we talk for a moment?"

Jessie knew that tone, especially when it followed a night of sex. She closed her laptop and put her hand up to stop him from saying anything. "Before you start, Jack, let me just say that I don't expect anything. Last night might have just been a...I don't know...a fluke or something."

"Wait, I-" Jack said getting interrupted.

"I know that tone and I know that phrase" Jessie replied. She sat back from her desk, breakfast, and coffee. "It's always that tone and that phrase."

"I'm okay with you, with us, having a thing" Jack said. His face had fallen into a stern gaze. "I was just going to say that I am not exclusive. I can't be right now. Too much has happened and I-"

"Fine" Jessie said with a nod.

"What do you mean 'fine'?" Jack asked with a snap.

"I mean, I agree with you. I'm okay with that" Jessie said. She leaned forward and sipped her coffee. Jack watched her and started to understand. "This doesn't seem like a good work topic."

"It's not" Jack agreed. He set his cup of coffee down and brushed his hands along his pants. "I didn't want to start with a ruined day." He got up and moved around to perch beside Jessie, leaning on her desk. "Listen to me. You are fantastic." He reached for her and Jessie scooted her chair back a little bit. "Come on, Jess."

"What-ah-what do you want me to do today?" Jessie asked. "I'm a writer, not some spy or alien finder or...what's my title?" She shook her casted hand. "It doesn't even matter. I'm here and I don't even know what the hell I do exactly."

"We have at least two hours before anyone shows up" Jack said. "I think we need to work things out a little and we can hash out your job description while we're at it."

Jessie stood up and set her mug down. With Jack perched on the table, he was almost eye level with her. "Maybe this was a bad idea."

Jack took her good hand and squeezed it. "You're my number one, the first one I promise to go to."

"You'll have to sell it a little better than that" Jessie said. She was disappointed, but she still didn't move her hand from his. "This is the old 'not dating, just sleeping together' speech, right? I mean, hey, at least you're letting me know instead of letting me find out in a week or two."

"That's not-no" Jack said. "I'm just open to others with us, sometimes."

"Because I'm not enough?" Jessie asked. She shook her head and pulled her hand from his, letting it linger near her coffee cup.

"Sometimes I want to be with men" Jack said. Jessie nodded and just looked at him. "Sometimes I find an attractive alien with no designated gender." Jessie slapped him across the face. "Very Joan Crawford."

He stood up and looked down at her. Jessie put her hands on her hips, as best she could manage. "Don't you dare jerk me around, Captain."

Jack slid his hands around her waist. "What happens if do? Would you jerk me around?"

"Oh god" Jessie said with an eye roll. Jack's hands held her firmly in place and she shut up. Jack leaned down and put his forehead to hers. "If you want me to work here, you need to respect me."

"I do" Jack replied softly. "So far you've been excellent in the field and on a personal level you've been amazing-not just with me. I'm talking about cleaning up the hub and being able to deal with aliens and all the bullshit that comes with the job." Jack tilted his head and kissed her forehead. "You are so beautiful and smart and completely capable. You're like this jack-of-all-trades sort of wild card. I like that and I need that. Torchwood needs that. I don't want to do anything to make you leave." Jessie was quiet. Her hands moved up to rest on his arms. "This is how it's going to work: I am going to get to know you inside and out. We don't bring anyone in unless the other person fully agrees."

"So I get some control" Jessie said.

"We both do" Jack said with a smile.

"So no third or fourth unless-" Jessie said.

"Third or fourth?" Jack said with a laugh. "Dirty girl." He paused for a moment. "Still upset with me?"

"No" Jessie replied. Jack kissed her.

"Good" Jack said. He leaned in again and found Jessie leaning away.

"What am I supposed to do today?" Jessie asked in a whisper. "It can't be all guns ablazin' everyday."

"You get to train" Jack replied. "We have the new guy coming in, so you get a partner to train with."

"What kind of training?" Jessie asked. "Combat? Shooting? Sleight of hand?"

Jack laughed. "Sleight of hand?"

"Yeah" Jessie said with a smile. "Like me slipping an ink pen in your pocket."

Jack glanced down at himself. An ink pen was sticking out of his pant pocket. "I didn't even feel that."

"I know" Jessie said with a smirk. Jack pulled out the pen and put it on her desk.

"Proud of yourself?" Jack asked. Jessie shrugged and pulled away from him. He watched her pick up her food and take a bite. "It won't be easy today."

"If it was, I wouldn't be able to take you seriously" Jessie replied.

"Fair enough" Jack said. Jack crossed his arms for a moment. "Maybe I should have Brian work you extra hard."

"I'm a tough nut to crack" Jessie replied. She took another bite of her food.

"Are you asking for extra training? I could run you through some old military drills" Jack said with a smile.

"I'm sure you could, Captain" Jessie replied. Jack leaned forward a little with a smile.

"I like you calling me that" Jack told her. Jessie shook her head and sat down to finish up her food. Jack perched back on the edge of Jessie's desk and reached for his coffee. "I'm going to be busy all day. You will report to Brian when he gets in."

"Alright" Jessie said. Jack gave her a quick kiss, told her he would see her in a bit, and left for his office.

By 7am, Jessie had checked her usual online spots and the news. Right on the dot, Brian walked down the hallway and gave her a little wave. He was dressed a lot like Jack, only in a satin-finish gunmetal grey with a black shirt and red tie. Jessie closed her laptop and followed him.

"Morning" Jessie called after him. "I hear we're training today."

"You heard right" Brian said heading into his office. He put his coat on a coat hook and placed his bag behind his desk. "Is the coffee ready?"

"Sure is" Jessie replied. "What kind of training are we doing?"

"Just wait for Peter to get here" Brian said heading for the kitchen.

"Were you impressed with the hub?" Jessie asked. Brian turned the corner of the hallway and went into the kitchen.

"It's still a huge mess in there" Brian said. "Jack never had me visit the old hub with him. He only mentioned it." He filled his cup and dropped in a little sugar. "You seem to have quite the bond, not just with your co-worker, but your boss."

Jessie crossed her arms and leaned against the door frame. She had no idea how to reply. She felt a little guilty, but at the same time felt that it was not Brian's business.

"It's because I'm a dwarf isn't it?" Brian asked. "A small person? A midget?"

"I don't care about your height" Jessie said calmly. Brian left the kitchen, brushing past Jessie, and headed back to his office. He ignored her as they both walked back down to their offices. He ducked into his, shutting the door behind him, and Jessie stepped into hers. "Way to go, Jess. Way to be a team player."

It wasn't long before Brian left his office and quietly asked Jessie to come with him. They headed upstairs and met Peter at the door. Peter was given an office next to Jessie's. It was just as plain as hers. Brian had a clipboard in his hands and let Peter put his things down.

"The first thing on the agenda is shooting" Brian said. He led the two down to the sub-basement and into the small gun range. "Peter, have you used a gun?"

"I had a bb gun when I was a kid" Peter said. Brian pulled out ear protection, eye protection, two .22 pistols, and two boxes of ammo.

"Let's get started with the basics" Brian said. The lesson in gun safety and gun basics lasted about forty minutes and was then followed by firing off the whole box of ammunition at regular intervals. Each round of shooting led to Brian making notes on his clipboard. After they were completely through with their boxes of ammo, Brian had them turn in their .22 for a heavier pistol that he called "more field relevant". Jessie's shooting was fairly accurate while Peter's was all over the board.

"How did I do?" Peter asked once the guns had been turned in.

"Fair" Brian replied. Jessie remained quiet and simply put a small smile on her face. Peter looked pleased with himself. "Next, we have some basic combat training, just to get a feel for where you are at."

"In plain clothes?" Jessie asked. Brian looked at her, as if it were an obvious answer.

"What do you think you would normally be wearing during combat in the field?" Brian asked. He led them to the door at the bottom of the stairs and opened it. The room had a padded floor and softer padded walls. There were ceiling attachments for hanging heavy bags, but the bags weren't out. Brian pushed a pad on the wall aside and opened the cabinet that was behind it. He pulled out gloves, padded helmets, and packaged cheap mouthguards. "Get yourselves ready." While Peter and Jessie put on their gloves and helmets, Brian asked more questions. "Peter, what is your combat background?"

"I don't have any real combat experience per se, but I was a wrestler in school and played rugby through college" Peter said. "Now I do powerlifting with my mates."

"Jessie?" Brian asked. She had on just the one glove and the padded helmet.

"Fencing" Jessie began. "Kickboxing, blue stripe in taekwondo, boxing, and some crossfit."

"You've done some lifting?" Peter asked.

"Sure have" Jessie replied. Brian made notes on his paperwork. He looked at the two before him, processing his own thoughts. Peter was huge compared to Jessie, who was rather petite and currently sporting a cast.

"How do you two feel about sparring?" Brian asked. Both gave positive responses. "How do you feel about sparring each other?" They nodded. "Good. Here are the rules: first, no blows to the neck or groin area. Second, you stop when I yell 'time'. Third, you follow my rules."

Brian had them start off slowly. One could only use their lower half and the other was to defend the blows, then they switched. The next round gave them the opportunity to only punch as their offensive. The training went on like that for nearly two hours until it finished up with a final sparring match. Brian stood near the door and got the match started. When asked about fairness by Peter, Brian had only stated that fights were never very fair. Peter and Jessie circled each other, each waiting for the other to attack first.

Jessie struck out with some quick, light taps, testing the water as it were. She easily dodged Peter and bounced around. She moved in close, striking his kidney area with her gloved hand and then reach upwards for an uppercut. Peter took the blow with ease and responded with a solid punch to Jessie's left side. She hit the ground with a thud and quickly rolled away from Peter. The sparring match went on, each on delivering blows to the other.

"Hey" Jack said as he stepped in. Brian didn't stop watching the match. "How's it going?"

"They're both doing well" Brian replied. Peter landed a solid right hook in Jessie's face, sending her straight to the floor. "Time!"

Peter backed away apologizing sloppily with his mouthguard in place. "Sorry. So sorry." Jessie was up on her hands a knees, trying to shake it off. She turned her head, sending daggers to Peter. "Oh shit."

She stood up and Brian stepped forward. "Time!"

She either didn't hear Brian or didn't care. She rushed forward in a rage induced attack. Brian and Jack rushed out to pull them apart. Brian kept yelling 'time' as he tried to stop the woman. He ended up tackling her and keeping her to the ground with a wrestling maneuver. Tears had ruined her make-up. All she could do was cry out in frustration.

"God damn it! I said time!" Brian yelled. Jack had Peter wait on the other side of the room. Jack hurried over and pulled the headgear off of Jessie.

"Calm down" Jack ordered. She was red in the face. Jack nodded to Brian and he let her out of the hold. "Come on up."

Jack helped Jessie stand and walked her to the far corner of the room. Brian hurried over to Peter, who had taken off his things.

"Is she okay?" Peter asked. "I didn't mean to punch so hard, but she was coming at me and I just responded-"

"It's okay" Brian said. "You did good. Why don't you go get cleaned up and I'll meet you in your office?"

"Yeah, okay" Peter said. He looked over at Jack and Jessie. She looked overly stressed. He gave them a little wave before leaving the room.

"What the hell happened?" Brian asked after Peter left the room. "I distinctly remember calling time."

"She just went through a whole ordeal the other day, Brian" Jack said sternly. "You know that."

"Everyone has to go through training, Jack" Brian said firmly. "Your orders."

"I'm fine" Jessie said. She took out her mouthguard and took her one glove off. Jack put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm fine, Jack."

"Go get cleaned up" Brian told her. She took a deep breath and tried her best to walk out of the room with confidence. Brian waited for her to leave before talking to Jack. "I called time as soon as she was down."

"She went crazy" Jack said.

"That is on her" Brian replied. "She disregarded my orders."

Jack crossed his arms and looked over at the door. "There are pros and cons to that."

"Would you say that if the tables had been turned?" Brian asked. Jack scoffed at the remark. "I need you to be objective."

"He just pushed her over the edge" Jack said sternly. "Her back is full of scars and on top of that her left hand is in a cast."

"She handled herself just fine" Brian told him. "Without the cast, I'm guessing she could have wiped the floor with him." Brian paused and Jack remained quiet. "How does a writer, a novelist at that, end up with that kind of ability?"

"Ask her" Jack replied. "I have paperwork to get back to. After you give them a lunch break, if they seem up to it, get them ready for a weevil hunt. We will all head out this evening when it gets dark."

Torchwood piled into the van and the SUV. Jessie and Cole were in the van, while the rest were in the SUV. The weevils hadn't been a terrible threat as of late, but it was a good place to have new people begin. There was always the element of danger with danger. If the ball was dropped, weevils could rip a man to shreds.

The team made their way towards an empty light-industrial part of Cardiff. There had been a few recent reports of strays being found mutilated. It was one of the many signs of the weevils. They parked in an alley and everyone got out.

"Alright, three to a team" Jack said. He looked around at everyone. "I'm going to take Ritha and the new guy. Brian, you're in charge of team 2." Cole and Ritha handed out guns to the new team members. "Lately there has been weevil activity around here. We don't have the facilities to house all the weevils, so the order is shoot-to-kill. We can incinerate them later."

"Is that what happened to the the one I encountered when we first met?" Jessie asked. Jack gave her a blank look with the tug of a smile at his lips.

"Does everyone have their comm-links on?" Jack asked. "Move out."

Brian led his team down the street. "What do you know about weevils?"

"I've just had the one encounter" Jessie replied.

"Weevils like the scary dark places" Cole said.

"They mainly stick to the sewers and the tube" Brian said. They crossed the street and hurried between the buildings. "They also like trash cans in back alleys."

It was eerily quiet. It didn't help that the team of three could barely see in the dark. Cole turned a flashlight on and they went deeper into the darkness.

"Do we even know if there are any weevils in this direction?" Jessie asked.

"A general search of the area usually turns up something" Cole said. "Just don't shoot me."

"She's a better shot than you, Cole" Brian replied. In the distance was a large dumpster with it's yellow label on the side. "Over there."

Cole focused his light on the dumpster. There wasn't any noise. They hurried past it, looking for more potential spots for weevils. They made it a few more blocks, between the buildings, and eventually found two dumpsters next to each other. There were noises and there were growls. The group had become comfortable in the night, in the dark, and found themselves with a flash of anxiety brought on by scary things in the dark. They crept closer.

"Hello there" Cole said loudly. There was a sudden stop to the noise and then a face appeared around the corner of the dumpster. Another poked up from inside the dumpster and two more emerged from the far end.

"Wait for them to approach before firing" Brian ordered. The weevils growled at them and gathered together in their usual crouching position. The weevil in the dumpster jumped down and they all smelled the air. As soon as the weevils headed for them, shots rang out. They all opened fire until the four weevils were on the ground. Brian touched his comm. "Jack, we took down four."

"Great. We haven't found anything" Jack replied.

"We're behind the Farm Street Mechanical building" Brian said. "We need the van."

The comms were quiet after that. Brian and Cole checked the weevils, explaining that weevils were like constant checkpoints; if something showed up with one of them, it could indicate what was coming. Nothing was found on the four weevils. As soon as the van pulled up, they loaded the four weevil bodies into it.

"How was it?" Jack asked as he shut the van doors. Cole shrugged.

"She tagged two of the bastards by my count" Cole told him. "The word 'aggressive' comes to mind, but I'd rather be on her team then the other side."

"Oh man, these guys are ugly" Peter said to Ritha. "Where did they come from?"

"Through the rift" Ritha replied. Cole came over and gave Ritha a kiss on the cheek. Jack smiled at them and walked around to the driver's side of the van. He put his hand on the door handle when he saw Jessie leaning against the front of the van.

"Hey" Jack said. He moved to the front and leaned against the hood. "Heard you did pretty well out there."

"Thanks" Jessie replied.

"What are your plans for tonight?" Jack asked. Jessie looked at Jack and put on a smile for him. Her face had a light bruising to it from the sparring earlier.

"Nothing really" Jessie replied. "I was thinking about trying to get some extra sleep. All of this-" She gestured to her face. "-It aches. I just want to get cleaned up and I want sleep."

Jack touched her fingers that were free and mobile from her cast. "Have them drop you off. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Thanks, Jack" Jessie said letting a finger wrap around one of his. He kissed her forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow" Jack said. Jessie walked away, following Cole, Ritha, and Brian. "Peter! With me."


	9. Ballure

The next week at the Torchwood went by in a blur of training. Jack tried to get everyone up to speed for the sole purpose of having a functioning team. He told them about the major incidents, even some of the more restricted details regarding "Miracle Day". Ritha, Peter, and Brian worked together on the databases and the computer systems, as well as the introduction of alien tech. Jessie had daily check ups with Cole. After a week, he pulled the stitches in her back and replaced her cast with a simple finger splint. Jack had her doing data entry. She went through old files that he had stashed away and processed them. Turned them into searchable digital files.

"How's it going?" Jack asked from Jessie's office doorway. He was in a pressed shirt and his dressier trousers. He had turned in his boots for simple leather shoes. Jessie's office was still barren when he gave it a quick once over. She had a box in the guest chair from the states. She looked up from her computer and smiled at him.

"Better now" Jessie said. "Distract me for a while, Jack. My eyes are killing me."

"I was thinking that maybe tonight we could go to dinner" Jack told her. He sauntered in and leaned against the wall and window. "We could go back to that French bistro-" Jessie stood up, smiling. "-maybe order some champagne…"

"Are you asking me out on a date?" Jessie asked.

"Yeah" Jack replied. He straightened up and reached out to take hold of her hands. "We really haven't had much time this week."

"Well, I don't know" Jessie said glancing at her computer. "My boss has me swamped."

"We could always go right to dessert if you want to speed things up" Jack said stepping in closer. He lowered his head for a kiss when a knock came from the door frame.

"Hey there" Peter said with a bag of crisps in his hand. Jack straightened up. "When do we technically get out of here today?"

"Are you done?" Jack asked a little short with Peter. Peter shrugged and nodded and made a grunt sound. "Then, enjoy the weekend. If you can't stay away, then come in tomorrow."

"Okay" Peter said with a smile. He reached into his bag and crunched on another crisp. "Are you two a couple?"

"That term-" Jack began.

"We're just…" Jessie started. "Seeing each other. Not a couple."

"Oh yeah? Is this what they call 'fuck buddies' then?" Peter asked. He seemed to be oblivious to Jack and Jessie's reactions.

"Something akin to that I suppose" Jessie said softly. Jack didn't bother looking back at Peter.

"Peter" Jack said sternly. "Get out of here. Go home and do whatever."

"I might have plans, you don't know" Peter said taking it as a blow to him being lonely. "I have a temporary program set up that should allow for monitoring the systems by phone app. I'll send you two love-birds texts."

He left while crunching yet another crisp.

"French bistro and we can figure things out from there?" Jack offered again. Jessie nodded and grabbed her things. Their phones beeped with the texted link from Peter.

Jack had stopped to let Jessie change into something a little dressier for their date. They made their way towards the hub from the parking garage. Jack carried her box for her.

"You haven't been around to see the changes" Jessie said.

"What changes?" Jack asked.

"You'll see" Jessie replied. They entered the old information office and Jessie pressed a button that was tucked away. The main entrance to the hub below slid open.

"Hey, alright! You got it working" Jack said with a big smile. They headed downstairs and Jack was surprised that the majority of the rubble was now gone, the broken parts of the subway tiles had been replaced, and there was new yellow railing in place. There was a table near the door and Jack set the box down.

"I'll just be a few minutes" Jessie said taking the box. She hurried upstairs, where her suitcase was still situated. Jack waited in the main portion of the hub. Some of the grating had been replaced. The extension of the fountain was still in two large pieces, but it was manageable. He checked out the medical room. It was sparkling clean. There were neon orange post-it notes on two items that simple read 'fix' in Jessie's all-caps scrawl.

He wandered around, thinking about the recent past. He had loved the hub. He had a lot of time invested in it. The couch that had been positioned under the imbedded 'Torchwood' tiles had been tossed out, but had been replaced with a similar couch. Jack was impressed that Jessie had even scrubbed the wall behind the couch. It was brighter now.

"I'm ready" Jessie said coming up behind him. "I was trying to be quick."

She had on a dark grey trenchcoat, a wine colored velvet dress, and simple black heels. Her brown hair was pinned up in a simple chignon and she had refreshed her eye make-up and lips.

"Look at you, getting all fancy for me" Jack said.

"I like to dress accordingly" Jessie replied. She stepped up to Jack and touched his tie. "You changed from earlier. You even ditched your boots. I wasn't even sure if it was possible for them to come off anymore."

"Everything can come off" Jack said softly. "Fast."

"I expect to see that later" Jessie said with a smile. She stepped back and buttoned her trenchcoat up.

* * *

The French bistro was moderately busy and light ambient French music played over the speaker system. Jack had made reservations and they were seated next to a tropical leafy plant that gave the semblance of privacy. Jack ordered a wine with a long French name as they settled into the low-lit, romantic table.

"What do you think of work so far?" Jack asked. Jessie glanced around the restaurant, but wasn't really prepared to discuss work on a date.

"The files I've been going through are pretty interesting" Jessie said. "I've come across stuff that is just mind blowing. Aliens and weapons and incidents on Earth." She quieted when the waiter brought their wine. The waiter took his time opening the bottle and pouring two glasses.

"Are you ready to order?" The waiter asked. Jack gestured for Jessie to order first.

"I will have the bouillabasse with the salad" Jessie said.

"Sir?" The waiter asked.

"8oz sirloin, medium, with the bearnaise sauce and the salad" Jack said. The waiter collected their menus and walked away. Jessie sipped her wine and was impressed.

"Tell me about yourself, Jack" Jessie said. She gave him a smile.

"Didn't you read enough when you opened my file?" Jack asked.

"No way" A woman said a little too loudly from behind Jack. He choked a little on his wine before turning around at the Welsh voice.

"What the hell are you doing here?" The man with her asked. Jack smiled and stood up, hugging them. The dark-haired lady was in a simple black dress and the man she was with had a green dress shirt on.

"It's date night" Jack replied. "Look at you two. Rhys, you look sharp."

"Who is this?" Gwen asked looked at Jessie. Jessie stood up and shook Gwen's hand. "Hi, I'm Gwen."

"Jessie Butler" Jessie said.

"Oh, the author?" Rhys asked. He looked at Jack. "I thought you were into guys."

"Rhys" Gwen said sharply. He gave her a 'what?' expression and shrug.

"Jessie is part of the team" Jack replied somberly. Gwen gave Jack a look. Their waiter was waiting for them to sit at a nearby table. "I didn't ask you to join because I knew you would say 'no'."

"You will wait for us after dinner" Gwen told him. Rhys was already sitting and looking through the menu. Gwen looked over at Jessie. "Nice to meet you."

Jessie and Jack sat down and watched Gwen walk the few tables over to Rhys. Jack picked up his wine and took a large mouthful. He hadn't planned on running into anyone tonight. His plan had been simple: dinner, maybe dessert, and then the rest of the night at the hub.

"Wow" Jessie said. "Did you two ever-?"

"No" Jack said with a blank face. Jessie gave a slight nod.

"There is just a lot of chemistry there" Jessie said lightly. Blue eyes met grey eyes; blue eyes ordering silence.. "You've been pretty quiet all week, Jack."

"Sorry" Jack said pulling himself together. "I don't see them often anymore." He sipped his wine. "What were you asking before?"

"I wanted you to tell me about yourself" Jessie replied.

"Not much to tell really" Jack said. "It's all in that file."

"Oh my god" Jessie scoffed under her breath. Jack gave her a look. "There is a lot in the file, but I'm asking YOU to tell me about yourself because there are missing parts. I'm trying to get to know you. What do you like? What do you do in your spare time?"

"I'm a bit of a private person" Jack said. Jessie smiled and shook her head 'no'. She let the silence linger just long enough for it to be slightly uncomfortable. Was this how their date was going to be?

"There was one time, it was just for a day" Jessie began. "That the prison guards had me work on some kind of transport ship. I remember it clearly because it was one day that I went without being beaten or whipped or...it was just a better day than most. It was some small thing, the ship, maybe twice the size of the SUV. I saw something written inside." She fished a notepad and a pen from her coat so she could scribble out what she remembered. Jack's expression went unnoticed. It was a very simple five-petal flower inside a triangle. "I don't know what it was a symbol for, but the flower reminded me of Earth."

Jack looked at the sketch. He knew it. "Did you see the owners of the ship?"

"No" Jessie replied. "Do you recognize it?"

"It's Peladonian" Jack replied. "They're generally pretty nice. Just don't make jokes about aggedors." He shut the notepad and pushed it back towards Jessie. "When you were there, did you ever see a blue box?"

"No" Jessie said after a moment. "I was usually out in the quarry." Jack swirled his wine around in his glass. "Why?"

"Just curious" Jack replied. Jessie leaned forward and reached out to touch Jack's hand. She wasn't sure about the change in his attitude, but she felt a little better when he held her hand.

"You have a lot of shit to work out" Jessie said. She sat back, pulling her hand from his, as the waiter brought out their salads. She continued once the waiter left. "Can you tell me about Peladonians?"

"They're a lot like Earthlings. Striped hair." Jack said picking up his fork. Jessie took a bite of her salad, hoping for more from Jack, but all he did was eat his own salad.

"Do you have a ship?" Jessie asked. Jack looked up at her then.

"What?" Jack asked.

"How did you get around to know about Peladonians and Axons and whatever else?" Jessie asked. "How is it that you heal like you do? How do you know all this stuff?" She stared at him while she took a bite of salad. He didn't look interested in answering. "Maybe this was a bad night for a date."

"No" Jack said. "Look, I'm sorry. I wasn't expecting Gwen and Rhys and they kind of roused the dirt of the past. I want to be here with you."

The salads weren't big and once the waiter took them away, Jack seemed to regain his normal composure. "So what was in the box?"

"Just a few things from home" Jessie replied. "I had three boxes shipped here and that was the last one to arrive." She smirked. "This box should have some personal things in it. Do you mind if I take the small spare room that is just beyond the hatch? It was empty."

"That's too small for sleeping" Jack said.

"I was thinking for my things" Jessie said. Jack smiled at her.

"As long as you sleep with me, I'm good with it" Jack said. Jessie smiled at him. Jack glanced over and saw Rhys give him a thumbs up. "Do you dance?"

Jessie tilted her head. There wasn't any dancing music in the bistro. "Not really, but there isn't any dancing music in here."

"Not here" Jack said. A couple was led past their table and down towards the far corner of the bistro. The man eyed Jessie as he walked by. "Looks like you're catching a bit of attention."

"I'm here with you" Jessie told him. Their waiter came back to the table bearing their entrees. The waiter left and they both picked up their utensils. "This looks good."

Their phones beeped in unison. Jack pulled his out for a moment and then tucked it away. "It's nothing. Ritha and Cole are dealing with it." He put his phone away and cut into his steak. They ate quietly and talked about their week. Jack had kept himself isolated for most of the week in the sub-basement. Jessie would find boxes of papers in her office with a note to convert everything into a digital format, so their office stories seemed a little fresh. By the time they finished, Gwen and Rhys were finishing as well.

"You two had three different people checking you out" Rhys said quietly as they left the bistro.

"Rhys, leave it alone" Gwen said with a smile. Jack had taken Jessie's hand as they walked. "Where are you two off to now?"

"We are walking" Jack said. He pointed down the street. "That way."

"There's a gelato place that way" Gwen said.

"Come on, Jack" Rhys said with a smile. "Come tell us how many times you've saved the world since we last saw you."

"Oh, I can answer that easily" Jack said. "Six."

"Six times?" Gwen asked in disbelief.

"I'm just kidding" Jack said following Gwen and Rhys. "Just once or twice."

"Are you really the author?" Rhys asked Jessie.

"Sure am" Jessie said.

"He's read a bunch of your books" Gwen said. "How did you get involved?"

"I found her kicking a weevils ass" Jack said with a big smile. "She had followed two drunk girls down an alley and stepped in with the heroics."

"Weevils are those ugly things, right?" Rhys asked Gwen. She nodded.

"How long have you two been you two?" Gwen asked.

"It's a recent development" Jack said.

"A week or so?" Jessie replied.

"How long have you been with Torchwood?" Gwen asked Jessie. The gelato place had a bright sign and was only down the block.

"Well, a week or so, 5 months, and a few days before that" Jessie recounted.

"Sounds right" Jack said.

"Almost 6 months then?" Gwen asked.

"A week and a half, Earth time" Jessie said. Gwen looked confused.

"Earth time?" Rhys asked. "What does that mean?"

"There was an incident and it's a long story, not really meant for a gelato shop" Jack said opening the door. He stepped into the chilly shop after the others. There were some people in a booth with their gelato half-eaten. The case was full of a variety of colors and flavors.

"I'll take a double scoop of chocolate chunk in a waffle cone" Rhys said to the kid behind the counter. Gwen went with a scoop of strawberry, Jessie went with sweet cream, and Jack chose pistachio.

"Out of all these choices and you go with sweet cream" Gwen said with a laugh. They paid and headed outside, looking for a quiet place to chatter amongst themselves.

Jessie shrugged as she ate her gelato. "Sweet cream is good."

"That's like ordering a vanilla milkshake. It's so plain" Gwen commented. Jack moved to stand between them. He used the guise of gentlemanly charm as his cover, pulling Jessie's hand into the crook of his arm.

"What are your plans for tonight?" Jack asked.

"We were thinking about watching a movie" Rhys said.

"Something rated-R" Gwen said with a smile.

"It's all animated this and that now with Anwen" Rhys said. "Princesses and fairies. You're lucky you don't have to deal with it, Jack." He looked over at Jessie. "Hurt your finger?"

"Just a bit" Jessie said holding her splint-bound finger up. "This is much nicer than the cast I had on."

"Is that from the weevil Jack found you with?" Gwen asked.

"It's from this guy who threw me over a railing. I caught myself, but not the right way" Jessie told them.

"Where were you?" Gwen asked Jack almost accusingly. Jessie smiled and leaned in towards Jack.

"He was in the middle of fighting the asshole" Jessie told them. The wind picked up a little and Gwen gave a shiver.

"It's freezing out here tonight" Gwen said.

"Jess, give us a moment" Jack said. They were near a bus stop. Jessie stepped away from Jack, standing next to Rhys, close to the bus stop bench. They watched as Jack walked away from them with Gwen. They stood in front of a shop that had closed for the night.

"Are you Torchwood too?" Jessie asked.

"Yeah, was" Rhys said. "How did you get talked into it? What about your novels?"

"I'm still writing novels" Jessie said. "Jack found me and then I found him. You can say that it was serendipity if you want."

"He has you running around Cardiff doesn't he?" Rhys asked. Jessie shrugged.

"It's more like data entry right now" Jessie replied. "Lot of files needing to be put into a digital format. What do you do?"

"Drive a truck" Rhys said. They were both nearly done with their gelato. They looked over at Jack and Gwen who had started laughing. "They're best friends, or were. They haven't seen each other in a while."

"When you're best friends, time doesn't matter" Jessie told him. "You just pick up where you left off."

"Yeah, I guess that's true" Rhys agreed. Jessie started eating her cone. The cool night was getting cooler due to the wind.

"Why did you two leave Torchwood?" Jessie asked.

"Personal reasons" Rhys said. Jack and Gwen came back over, both looking happy. "You two get all caught up?"

"Your little girl is beautiful" Jack said with a smile.

"We're lucky she looks more like Gwen, than me" Rhys said with a smile. He moved over to his wife and put an arm around her shoulders.

"We should get going" Gwen said. Rhys pulled her away after a quick 'good-bye'. "See you later, Jack."

"Have a good night you two" Jack said as they walked off. He turned to Jessie with his usual big smile. His gelato was gone and Jessie tossed what was left of her cone into the bin that was behind her. "How would you feel about warming up back at your place?"

Jack had stepped in closer to her, a hand at her waist and the other finding her hand. He kissed her hand. "I think we need to get to the vehicle."

* * *

Friday night rolled into Saturday morning. Jack had left the hub claiming that he had work to get back to in the very early hours of the morning. Jessie had slept after he had left. The other members of Torchwood had spent their nights a little more simply. Cole and Ritha had opted for a casual night in, while Brian had gone out see if he could pick up someone at an upscale bar. Peter had spent his night watching movies, drinking a few beers, and spending time online.

Saturday morning was rainy. Jessie had asked Brian for a lift if he was going to the warehouse; they arrived while it was still grey outside, around 8am. Brian was, as always, dressed professionally, this time in grey and purple. Jessie was in her usual swing trousers and blouse.

"How was your night?" Jessie asked as they got out of Brian's car. She had finished the short and conservative version of her date night, which Brian had asked about.

"A bust" Brian replied. "I went to a few places last night. Got turned down a few times."

"People are jerks" Jessie said as they went down the stairs to the basement. "Peter sent me a weird email this morning. It was just a link to a police report about a death in Ballure."

"Ballure?" Brian asked.

"It's on the Isle of Man" Jessie replied. They hit the hallway lights and headed towards their offices. "The report stated that a man in his 30s was found half in the water just outside of Ballure, on the shore. The police reported that he died from multiple knife wounds. They have no leads for now. It was a short police report."

"Is Peter coming in today?" Brian asked. Jessie shrugged.

"I have no idea" She replied. Brian stopped in front of Jessie's office door. "I'll see what I can find out on Ballure."

"Where's Jack?" Brian asked. Jessie shrugged.

"Downstairs I would imagine" Jessie said. Brian gave a nod before making his way to his office.

Brian put his things down in his office, ready to get settled into his work. He turned his computer on and decided to make a trip downstairs to see if Jack was around. The sub-basement was lit up and Brian could Jack in his office through the office windows. He knocked on the doorframe.

"Morning, Jack" Brian said. Jack looked up with a smile. He had some light music on from a radio.

"Hey, Brian" Jack said. "What brings you here on a Saturday morning?"

"Just had a few things to go over" Brian replied. He sat in Jack's guest chair. "Do you know anything about Ballure on the Isle of Man?"

"Not really. Why?" Jack asked. He had papers in his hands and put them down.

"Jess was telling me that Peter sent her a police report from Ballure, but he didn't share why" Brian told him. He ran a hand through his wavy blonde hair, then stroked his goatee.

"Is she here?" Jack asked.

Brian nodded. "She's probably getting some coffee going. She was going to look into the police report."

"Why didn't Peter call me about that?" Jack said more to himself than Brian. He looked down at the papers in front of him for a moment. Brian gave him a look of concern.

"You have locked yourself down here for the past week" Brian said. "On Tuesday we all grabbed lunch."

"Tuesday?" Jack said.

"I believe you were out 'looking into something'" Brian said making air quotes with his fingers. "Peter and Jessie have also been training together, so they seem to be forming a natural partnership."

"She didn't mention anything at dinner last night" Jack said. His finger tapped a few times on his desk.

"Yeah, about that" Brian said shifting a little in the chair. "How could you go on a date with her and, I'm assuming you did some other things last night, then just come back here?"

"I had some work to do" Jack replied.

"Work" Brian said.

Jack rested his elbows on the desk and leaned forward ever so slightly. "I'll tell you what. Next time, maybe you can join us. Once I leave, you can just stay there and spoon."

Brian shook his head, not understanding where Jack was coming from. "I don't understand you sometimes, Jack." He stood up. "That's almost cruel. I have work I want to get done."

"Let me know what's going on with Ballure" Jack said going back to his paperwork. Brian called out a quick 'sure' as he left the office.

Upstairs, Brian popped his head into Jessie's office. He had a cup of coffee in his hand. "I just checked in with Jack. How's it going with the Ballure report?"

"The local news has it reported as a possible accident" Jessie said. "The man's name was Gary Stroud. He was 38. His chest and stomach were torn open, almost like a small boat propeller hit him a few times. I have a few photos here."

Brian came over and looked at the photos. One was of Gary Stroud standing next to some friends on a pier. The other few pictures were from the crime scene and had been deemed appropriate-but-graphic for the local news, which meant they weren't overly helpful. The last was a police drawing of the body. There were three big cuts along Gary's chest.

"Don't those look a bit like very big claw marks?" Brian asked. "Or is that just how it's drawn?"

"I was thinking that too" Jessie said. She held out her hand to Brian's chest and spaced her fingers approximately as the cuts appeared on Gary's chest. "Probably about that kind of spacing."

"I would say a little wider" Brian replied looking down. "If it was a human that did it, their hands would be much larger than yours."

"Man hands?" Jessie asked. Brian gently moved her hand from his chest.

"Man hands" Brian replied.

"I still don't know why Peter sent this" Jessie said turning back to her computer. "It seems pretty straight forward as a simple death."

"Check past police reports" Brian suggested. "Maybe it's part of a pattern or something that Peter found." He moved back around her desk. "Find me if you come up with something."

"Okay" Jessie said.

* * *

By 10am, Jessie was in Brian's office. She was leaning over his desk and he couldn't help but glance at her cleavage. She had found a pattern, as Brian had suggested, but no one seemed to have cared enough to have put it together. She had also been able to find a little background on three of the dead people. Jessie pulled out a map of the Ballure area. She had marked it up with sharpie, little dots with names, one for each victim over 120 years.

"This is where all the bodies were found, each one 15 years apart" Jessie said. The range was along the coastline and even down the Sulby River, which cut right through the small town of Ballure.

"Almost looks like the work of a serial killer" Brian said.

"Except this is 120 years of killings" Jessie replied. "Eight all together."

There was a shuffle from the hallway and they turned to find Jack coming into the office. Brian gave him a nod. "We're going over some research."

"The Ballure deal?" Jack asked. He came over and leaned over the desk to see what they had. He let one hand lightly touch Jessie's back. "Eight deaths? I thought it was just the one."

"Apparently, this has been happening once every 15 years" Jessie said. "I have names and dates."

"What happens in that 15 year time period? Did we just miss the window of opportunity?" Jack asked. Jessie pulled out a small stack of papers and handed it to Jack, making him stand up.

"I was just getting to that" Jessie replied. "There are a bunch of local attacks immediately around each death. There's one incident from 1927 where a lady was not just attacked, she was bitten. Whatever it was took a chunk out of her."

"This is good work" Jack said looking through the papers. He looked over at Brian. "What do you think?"

"I could use a trip" Brian said.

"Let the others know" Jack said. He set down the paperwork. He looked at Jessie for a moment. "Walk to my office with me?"

"Sure" Jessie said. She looked at Brian. "I'll come back for this stuff."

Jack and Jessie left. Brian watched until they were out of sight, then pulled up his email. He sent notices out to the others to be ready for a trip to the Isle of Man.

At the bottom of the sub-basement stairs, Jack shoved Jessie against the wall and held her there with a kiss. His hands wandered around her waist and over her blouse. Jack made a slight grunt before pulling his head away. "You didn't come down to see me this morning."

"I was working" Jessie replied. She kissed his cleft chin. "Shouldn't we try to keep things separated? Work and personal?"

Jack smiled. Torchwood was his life. It had become personal long ago. "Absolutely not."

Jessie laughed at his answer. She touched his face and he turned his head to kiss her fingers. "Didn't you get your fill last night?"

Jack smiled. He gave her a chaste kiss before finding her hand and pulling her towards his office. Once they were in his office, he shut his door and pulled Jessie to him. He happily moaned when he felt her reach down to feel him through his trousers.

"Your orders, Captain?" Jessie whispered to him with a smile. Jack smiled back, satisfied that she was starting to open up a little more.

"Where to start" Jack said softly. He pushed her down to her knees.

"I absolutely think it's a glashtin" Peter said firmly. He was in the basement shop with Cole and Ritha. They were at the far end of the shop shooting baskets into a basketball hoop.

"That's all fairytales" Cole said sinking the ball. He didn't look very athletic in his tight black jeans, but he was quite good at basketball. "Waterhorses dragging some fair maiden into the water. The police reports are of men and women."

"They kill men too" Peter insisted. Ritha took a turn with the ball, missing the basket.

"I'm not familiar with glashtins" Ritha said. Peter recovered the ball and dribbled a few times.

"It's just a fairytale" Cole said again.

Peter took his shot and let Cole go after the ball. "The glashtin, also known as the waterhorse, is said to be a shapeshifting water goblin. They come to shore, find a victim in the guise of something attractive, and then take them to the water where the victim is drowned."

"Why?" Ritha asked. Cole took his shot and decided to take another while Peter and Ritha talked.

"I don't know" Peter replied. "Food? Maybe reproduction or finding a mate? They're supposed to have pointed ears, like a horse." He looked over at Cole. "There's a high number of privatized space travel groups on the Isle of Man. Doesn't that send up any red flags?"

"No" Cole said taking another shot. "That's the way humankind is moving."

"Cole" Ritha said with her hands up and ready for the ball. He passed it to her and she tried again with the basketball. Peter looked over his shoulder when he head the usual sound of Jessie's shoes on the hard floor.

"Hey Jess" Peter said. Ritha passed the ball to him. "Want to take a few shots?"

"I'm good" Jessie replied. "Jack had me make reservations for Ballure. We leave tomorrow from Liverpool at 11:15. He wants us to leave here by 7:00am."

"It won't take us that long to get to Liverpool" Cole said. Peter bounced the basketball and took his shot, missing the hoop.

"Jack said it would give us time to grab coffee or something when we get there" Jessie replied. "If you have a little time to spend in your offices, maybe after basketball, you can see what you can find about the killings. I've sent you all emails with the information."

"Where are we staying over there?" Peter asked.

"I will find us a place" Jessie replied.

* * *

Jessie smiled into the salty sea air as the ferry finally started moving. Torchwood had packed themselves into the SUV and driven to Liverpool. They had arrived with enough time to grab few things for the three hour ferry ride to the Isle of Man. Jessie felt a hand slide along the cold ferry railing and touch hers. She turned and saw Jack.

"You finally got your boat ride" Jack said.

"Yeah, about time" Jessie replied. "I like the sea air."

"Have you spent time out on the ocean?" Jack asked. Jessie smiled at him.

"A little bit" Jessie said. Behind Jack, further down the side of the boat, Brian came out and looked a little green. He clung to the railing and took a few deep breaths. "Oh no. Brian doesn't look good."

Jack turned around just in time to see the short man vomit over the side of the ferry. "I didn't think the water was that choppy." They head towards him. "Brian, you okay?"

Brian nodded, bent over enough to have his head between his arms as he clutched the railing. Jessie pulled a kleenex from the bag slung around her shoulders and handed it to Brian. He took it with an almost inaudible 'thanks' and wiped at his mouth.

"Don't go below the water level" Jessie said. She dug around in her bag and pulled out a piece of wrapped candy. "Go inside and have this. It should help."

"I don't want candy" Brian said not taking it. Jessie gave him a look before putting it in his jacket pocket.

"It's a strong ginger drop" Jessie told him. "It helps ease seasickness."

Brian nodded and headed inside, still looking green.

"Do you get seasick?" Jack asked.

"No" Jessie replied. "I like ginger and I thought there was a chance that someone would probably need it."

They walked around the ferry, enjoying the morning sun and the sea air. "Where did you get your sea legs?"

"Oh, you know, ten years spent as a merchant marine" Jessie said. "Became a pirate for 5 years after that."

"Is that right?" Jack said with a smile. She couldn't keep the smile off of her face.

"I spent a lot of time fishing with my grandpa" Jessie said. "I also got a wild hair one summer during college and became an able seaman." Her face reflected her truthfulness. "It helped me get a part-time job when I spent a little time in Hawaii writing _The Red Sands_."

"You might not believe me, but I've never been to Hawaii" Jack said. "What did you do there?"

"Helped out on a snorkel and dive cruise" Jessie replied.

"I guess I know who to turn to if we're out on a boat" Jack said with a smile.

"You're still captain, Captain" Jessie told him. They mosied around the upper quarterdeck and headed for the port promenade, the walkway that would lead them back to the front of the ferry.

Jack put a hand on the small of Jessie's back and leaned in close to her ear. "I think we need a sailor outfit for you."

"I have one" Jessie said. A wave hit the side of the ferry, sending a light spray of water to the upper deck. Peter came out from the solarium. "Hey Peter."

"Brian's feeling out of sorts" Peter said. The wind whipped his hair around and he didn't look overly pleased. "It's a bit cool out here."

"I'll check on him" Jessie said. Peter joined Jack for a walk around the deck.

"I was thinking about the murders" Peter told Jack. "Fifteen years is a weird amount of time, but what if there are other murders that we haven't taken into consideration? Water-deaths out on the open water."

"You think the killings are more frequent?" Jack asked.

"I was just checking out various crime reports, including accidental deaths and water-related deaths" Peter said. "Ballure has a lot of them. More than some of the other surrounding towns."

"How many?" Jack asked.

"In the last three years, there have been 231 water-related deaths" Peter said. He pulled out his phone and pulled up a video. "I found this from a year ago."

The video was of poor quality. It was shot from a phone at night. There was some dark figure moving around the bow of the ship for a moment. It stopped to smell a life preserver and then jumped overboard. A young man came into frame looking scared. Jack couldn't make out the words due to the outdoor noise and the rumble of the ferry, but he could guess. The video was over in less than a minute.

"It's from a deckhand from the Ava Maria" Peter said. "It's a commercial fishing boat. We could probably find it and find the guy who took the footage."

"Good work, Peter" Jack said. "Send that to my phone."

"Sure" Peter said. He hit a few buttons and Jack's phone beeped in his pocket. "So looks like Jess is in there with her best friend." Peter glanced through the solarium window and saw Jessie sitting next to Brian, who was looking better. "I think he has a bit of a crush on your girl."

"They're best friends, huh?" Jack said. He looked and then shrugged. "I think they were both in need of friends."

"I'm going to go back inside. It's cold out here and I want some coffee" Peter said. "Care to join me?"

Jack looked one more time through the window. "I'm going to take another lap around the deck."

* * *

The team arrived in Ballure around 4pm and found their rented condo by 4:30pm. It was a cute condo that had five bedrooms, a kitchen and dining room combo, a bathroom, and a sizeable living room with a fireplace. It was settled in a building that was home to twelve condos. Jack picked a room at random, taking the one closest to the fireplace. Peter took the room next door to his. Brian and Jessie took the two rooms near the kitchen, leaving Cole and Ritha to take the master bedroom.

They all put their things down, ready to spend the week there. Peter pulled out his computer and let it turn on while he unpacked. Ritha and Cole unloaded their Torchwood items, then unpacked their clothing. Jessie left her bag packed next to the bed and rummaged through her purse for her old ipod. Brian laid on his bed after taking two advil and hoped that Jack would just let him relax or sleep or simply catch an hour of television. Jack unpacked his bag and took his coat off. He was the first to leave his room to check out the condo.

"Nice" Jack said. There was a large flat screen hanging above the fireplace. He turned it on and flipped through the channels, settling for an older movie that looked interesting. Ritha and Cole were the first to emerge from their room. They both seemed happy to see that the television was on.

"This looks like a Kubrick film" Cole said.

"Does this mean we get a night in?" Ritha asked. She changed her skintone to flesh colored. "I could venture out, but only for dinner."

"It's Sunday. Have a night in" Jack said with a smile. Brian stepped out from his room and headed for the kitchen. He retrieved a glass and filled it with water. "Feeling better?"

"A bit" Brian said. He opened the fridge and found it empty, except for a stick of butter. "We need to go to the store. All we have is water and a stick of butter."

"I'll go" Jessie said. Brian finished his water in two gulps.

"Anyone want anything in particular?" Brian asked.

Ritha turned around with a smile. "Kippers!"

"Popcorn" Cole said. "The reduced fat kind."

"Maybe you two could get something for dinner" Jack suggested.

"Sure" Jessie said with a smile.

* * *

"Where is the goddamn grocery?!" Brian yelled at the traffic. The light turned green and he hit the gas. Jessie had her phone out. The sky was dark with grey clouds. In the last hour the weather had shifted.

"I think it's just another block" Jessie said. Brian slowed the SUV as soon as he saw the bright sign after passing a bank. They pulled in and Brian visibly relaxed a little. "Are you okay?"

"Just frazzled" Brian replied. They left the SUV and hurried inside. Jessie grabbed a cart and they headed for the produce. "What do you want for dinner?"

"How about something simple like chicken alfredo with broccoli or something?" Jessie asked.

"Are you cooking?" Brian asked.

"Yeah, sure" Jessie said. She stopped by the apples and put a few into a plastic bag. She grabbed some pink grapefruit and a bunch of bananas. Brian bagged two heads of broccoli. "We should grab some juice or something."

"Orange?" Brian asked. He grabbed a carton of orange juice. "Where's your finger splint?"

"I took it off. I think my finger is fine" Jessie said. They headed to the next aisle and grabbed a carton of eggs and a bag of shredded cheese. "It's just sore."

"Look at this" Brian groaned as he pointed at a cereal on an end cap. "Can you believe this shit?" It was an all-marshmallow cereal that boasted being full of nutrients. "Full of nutrients."

"I'll pass. I'm more of an egg and bacon person" Jessie said. Brian led the way down the aisles. They picked up a bag of chips, a box of popcorn, two tins of kippers, chicken, pasta, alfredo sauce, and a variety of other items.

"How would you feel about a bottle of wine?" Brian asked.

"Pick out something good" Jessie said with a smile. Brian headed for the wine and Jessie headed for the ice cream. It took her a few minutes to pick out two tubs. She put them in the cart just as Brian came around with two bottles of wine.

"I think these will do" Brian said. He looked at the cart. "It looks like we're crazy shoppers. Look at this mess of stuff."

"It's fine" Jessie said. Brian took a deep breath. He had been irritated since the ferry ride. "You're moody today."

"I'm just tense" Brian said. He stretched his neck. They headed for the register and stood in line behind a lady getting a cart full of cans. "Perfect."

"I thought you were going to try relaxing more" Jessie said. "What happened with that?"

"I'll let you know when I can land a date" Brian said. Jessie nodded. He was tense in that sort of way. Jessie pressed her lips together, not sure what to say. "Look at me. I'm completely unappealing."

"Don't start selling yourself short" Jessie said. She mentally kicked herself at the phrase.

"Right. Selling myself 'short'" Brian said. Room appeared on the cashier belt behind a plastic divider. Brian started loading the groceries on the belt. They got through the line faster than expected, much appreciated by both Jessie and Brian. They both carried bags of groceries to the SUV. "What were your thoughts?"

"My thoughts? On what?" Jessie asked. They put the bags in the boot.

"On when I asked you out" Brian asked. He put his hands up. "I'm not trying to get weird with you. I'm just curious."

They moved to get into the SUV before talking again. "Jack had already made some moves."

"That's it?" Brian asked.

"I honestly haven't dated anyone in a really long time and it's not something I regularly think about" Jessie said. She took a deep breath. "I don't like dealing with drama like this."

"That's weird. You're a weird American" Brian said heading back to the condo.

"I got a lot of books written without the hassle of someone around" Jessie said. They stopped at a red light.

"I think I just need some food" Brian said. Cars moved and they waited. Jessie reached over and patted his hand in an effort to make him relax.

"I'm a pretty good cook, Brian" Jessie said with a smile. "Dinner won't take long to make."

"We should probably go over a map of the area when we get back" Brian said shifting into more of a professional mode.

"Jack gave us the night off" Jessie said. It was a phrase they often said to one another, but they all knew that with Torchwood, you never truly had a night off. They made their way through the traffic which had started to bottleneck. Rain hit the windshield and Brian turned the windshield wipers on.

"Fine" Brian said. "You make dinner, I'll go over the map, and we'll both enjoy glasses of wine."

As soon as they pulled into the condo parking lot and hurried to get the groceries upstairs, they found that the others were avidly watching the movie that was still on television like a bunch of zombies. Jack sat at a small table, opposite the television, watching the television over an open file.

"Glad you guys haven't strained yourselves" Brian commented as he hauled in half the groceries. Jessie was behind him. They headed to the kitchen to unpack.

"Did you grab any beer?" Peter asked.

"No" Brian answered. He had the two wine bottles on the counter and was sorting through the bags, getting the freezer items put away first. "There's a liquor store across the intersection if you really want beer."

"What's for dinner?" Cole asked. Brian and Jessie glanced at each other while they put things away. Jessie took her jacket off and washed her hands. She looked through the cabinets and pulled out pots and pans so she could get dinner started.

"Quiet you guys" Ritha said to the others. Brian finished putting the groceries away and headed to his room to change. When he came out, he was in a t-shirt and plaid flannel pants. It was the most relaxed any of the others had seen him.

"Rawr" Jack called out to him with a smile. Brian gestured to the kitchen and Jack followed him. They heard the sizzle of meat cooking. "Usually you turn me down, Brian."

Brian found the corkscrew and started opening a bottle of wine. "I need glasses."

Jack opened the glass door cabinet that displayed the diningware and pulled out three wine glasses. He looked over Jessie's shoulder. "What do we have here?"

"Chicken alfredo with broccoli" Jessie replied. "It's the quick version, otherwise I'd make my own alfredo."

Jack kissed her cheek and smiled. "What kind of wine is that?"

"It's just a chardonnay" Brian said. He uncorked the bottle and poured the glasses of wine. Brian set a glass near the stove for Jessie and handed another to Jack. "Will those ruffians appreciate wine?"

"Probably not" Jack replied. Jessie sipped her wine and poked at the chunks of chicken in the frying pan. She opened an overhead cabinet and pulled out a few spices that she had seen earlier. As soon as the spices hit the chicken, the kitchen began to exude the smell of dinner.

"I'm going to study a map of the local area" Brian told Jack. "I think we should be ready for anything to happen, even if it's our night off."

The water in the two pots on the stove began boiling. Jessie had the broccoli cut apart into florets and added it to one pot. Pasta was added to the other pot. The front door opened and closed. "I guess Peter went for beer."

"You're allowed a night off every once in awhile" Jack said. He sat at the small table and blatantly watched Jessie from behind.

"It's just preparation" Brian said joining him at the table. He liked Jack's view, but said nothing. Jessie was busy moving the chicken around the pan, adding salt to the noodles, and finding serving dishes. "We wouldn't want to be caught off guard or ill-prepared."

"We should probably watch the local news instead of a movie" Jessie said. She turned around and found both men watching her. "Maybe take cold showers."

"Only if you're in there with us" Jack said with a wink.

"Body warmth would be required" Brian said finally unwinding. Jack chuckled into his next sip of wine. Jessie just turned back to the food, ignoring them. It wasn't too much longer and she had a large platter piled with the chicken alfredo and a large bowl full of broccoli. She set a pile of plates and utensils on the table.

"Food is ready" Jessie called out to Cole and Ritha. Everyone had a plate full of food when Peter came in with beer. "We just grabbed our food."

"Yes!" Peter said with a smile. "My timing is perfect."

Ritha and Cole took their food to the sofa, so they could finish their movie. Peter filled a plate with food and sat next to Jack. Jessie was next to Brian. Jack refilled their wine and Peter opened up a bottle of beer.

"This is great" Jack said. "This is your version of a quick meal?"

"I definitely needed this" Brian said. Under the table, he let one hand rest on Jessie's leg without being obvious. Jessie glanced at Jack, then over at Brian.

"Um...thanks guys" Jessie replied. She moved her napkin down to her lap and shooed Brian's hand away. Jack gave her a look when Peter and Brian were more focused on eating. "I thought you were going to look at a map of Ballure?"

"I'll eat first" Brian said.

"Do you guys play cards? I have a deck with me" Peter said.

"I was thinking about reading after this" Jessie said.

"I haven't had a home cooked meal in years" Jack said.

"I've had better, but it's pretty good" Peter said. He shoved a huge forkful of his food in his mouth.

"Slow down there cowboy" Jack said. In no time at all, Peter had almost cleared his plate. "Taste the food, enjoy it."

"I'll just grab some more real quick" Peter said reaching for the platters. "I have a diagnostic program running on my computer. I should check on it."

"Diagnostic for what?" Jack asked.

"I'm working remotely on a warehouse computer" Peter said. He sat down with his food and took a bite. "Don't worry, no one can trace it." He took an extra napkin and left the table.

Brian finished his second glass of wine and had Jack refill his glass. "How about we take a look at a map, once we're done here?" He dropped his hand to his lap and touched his napkin to his mouth. "I keep thinking about the river." His hand reached over and he touched Jessie's leg again. "I could be persuaded to do a little hiking in an evening shower."

"Brian" Jack said. His elbows were on the table and he held his hands up, so they hovered in front of his mouth. Jessie was giving Jack a look that said 'he is doing it again'.

"What?" Brian asked.

"I think you're going to learn what a broken finger feels like if you keep that up" Jack said.

"I'm innocent, I swear" Brian said raising both hands. "Just let me eat." He looked over at Jessie. "Keep your distance witch."

"Perfect. Thank you" Jessie said looking at the two men. Jack smiled and finished up his food.

"You can thank me properly later" Jack replied.

"Why can he do that?" Brian asked. Jessie turned to Brian and silently glared at him. "Fine. I'm sorry."

"You are pushing it" Jessie told him. She finished her wine and left the table, left her mostly eaten food on her plate on the table. She went to her room and shut the door behind her. Jack looked disapprovingly at Brian.

"You're a doctor of physics. Reel it in" Jack ordered. He finished his food in two bites and collected Jessie's plate. "I think you owe her one."

"Oh geez" Brian said pouting a little.

Jack took care of the plates. "You have the expanse of the table for your map viewing."

"Is there any food left?" Cole asked as Jack crossed the living room.

"Yes" Jack told him. Cole and Ritha got up during the commercial break for seconds. He went over to Jessie's door and knocked lightly. "It's Jack."

The door opened and he stepped inside. Jessie had her bag on the bed, partially rummaged through.

"What are you doing?" Jack asked. Jessie went back to her bag and pulled out a trench coat.

"I should go out for a bit" Jessie said. She pulled the coat on. "I have my raincoat, so I should be good." Jack grabbed her by the arms, stopping her from buttoning her coat. "I just need some time."

"It's turned into a downpour out there" Jack said. Jessie stepped back and buttoned her coat. "You need some space from the others."

"Just a little. It's so cramped" Jessie said. Jack sat on the bed next to her bag. He picked up a pair of underwear. They were black lace. He understood that she was working out her own demons she had picked up from that prison planet.

"Nice" Jack said. He dropped them back in her bag and watched her shove an ipod and her wallet into the pockets. "It's not smart to go alone. I can send someone with you or I can go."

"I'll be fine" Jessie said. She left the room and then left the condo. Jack came out of her room and leaned on the doorframe.

"So what are we watching tonight?" Jack asked the others.

* * *

Jack checked his watch and his phone again. It had been almost an hour and Jessie wasn't back. Brian had stuck to the kitchen, putting things away and pulling out his map of Ballure. Peter was sitting at the table opposite the room of the television with his computer. He seemed engrossed in his work. Jack was sitting in an armchair half-watching _Jurassic Park_ with Ritha and Cole.

"Jack?" Peter said. "I have some strange readings coming in from the warehouse."

"None of my equipment is sounding off" Ritha said looking back at Peter. She got up and went to look at what Peter had pulled up. Jack went over to look as well. "What is that?"

"It's an upcoming energy burst" Peter said. "It's moving like...like...a wave or-or air bubbles underwater. I mean, we can see it coming and there's no stopping it."

"When will it hit?" Jack asked. Peter had a map of the UK pulled up and shades of green represented the energy burst.

"With the way it's moving, four or five days maybe" Peter said.

"Have you ever seen anything like that, Jack?" Ritha asked.

"No" Jack replied. He pointed at the screen. "It's going to come right through Cardiff, whatever it is."

"We're here for a week" Cole said from the couch. Jack pulled out his cellphone and went into his bedroom.

* * *

Jessie came back to the condo with a bar of chocolate and a book of sudoku puzzles. She was soaked. Cole was reclining on the couch.

"Welcome back" Cole said. He gestured with his thumb to the others at the table. "Something is happening in a few days."

"Something important?" Jessie asked.

"A big burst of energy is going to hit Cardiff in a few days" Jack said. "Nothing good ever comes of it."

"Okay" Jessie said stepping into her room. She shut her door and began taking her coat off. She set the book and chocolate aside, then took her shoes off. She pulled her socks off and cringed at how wet they were from the rain. There was a knock on her door. "Hang on. I'm changing." She pulled out her pajamas and quickly put them on. She didn't open the door until she put her hair into a bun and felt ready to see what was going on. "Yes?"

"I might have to send you back to Cardiff a little early" Jack said. "Maybe we can figure out what's going on here and then deal with this energy burst."

"What are the Ballure police reporting?" Jessie asked. "Any more attacks?"

"Nothing exciting" Ritha said. She had her laptop open on the table. "Noise complaint, a few speeding tickets...just general stuff."

"Any reports of prowlers?" Jessie asked.

"No" Ritha replied.

"Can you sync up the police reports to my phone?" Jessie asked. Ritha nodded and tapped away on her computer. "Thanks." Jessie turned to Jack. "What do you need me to do?"

"I just need you to be aware of what's going on for now" Jack said. He had his phone out and dialed a number. "Excuse me." Jack headed to his room for some privacy.

"Cole, we picked up some popcorn for you" Jessie told him.

"Good girl" Cole said sitting up. He hurried to the kitchen and soon the distant sound of whirring could be heard from the kitchen, followed by the aroma of buttery popcorn.

The night continued along fairly slow. Peter and Ritha spent their time monitoring Cardiff and the Ballure police reports. Cole had found back to back horror movies and settled in with beer and popcorn. Brian joined him on the sofa sometime during the middle of the first film. Jessie was curled up in the armchair with her chocolate and sudoku. Jack paced for a solid two hours. He would check his phone, walk into the kitchen, walk into the living room, ask for an update, watch a few minutes of what was on the television, and repeat the whole thing over again.

Around 2AM, after everyone was asleep, Jessie woke up due to her phone making a ding and lighting up with a notification. She reached over and glanced at it. It was a police report notice about a prowler on Auldyn Walk. Jessie hurried out of bed and pulled on some clothes. She hurried out of her bedroom and knocked on Jack's door. The laptops were on the living room table, open and monitoring.

"Jack" Jessie called out. She knocked again. "There's a prowler report." Jack opened his door, looking ruffled and half asleep. Jessie had her trench coat and was pulling it on. "A prowler report just came in."

"What time is it?" Jack asked. He opened his door and turned his lightswitch on. He wandered around naked, collecting clothes to put on.

"Just about 2AM" Jessie replied. She was wide awake. Jack dressed as quickly as he could manage. "The report came in from Auldyn Walk. It shouldn't take us too long to get there."

"Residential neighborhood?" Jack asked pulling on an undershirt.

"Yes, a small residential neighborhood" Jessie said. "It's also near a school."

"Get Cole out of bed" Jack said. Jessie hurried to wake up Cole. Ritha insisted on getting up as well. Jessie hurried into the kitchen and found Brian's map of the area. Ballure wasn't big. Jack came out from his room pulling his RAF coat on.

"Here, Jack" Jessie said bringing the map out from the kitchen. She flipped on a lamp and pointed out where Auldyn Walk was, then she pointed to a green-space marked as Poyll Dooey Nature Trails. "I think we should try here."

"We don't know if this thing is going to be passing that direction" Jack said. Auldyn Walk led to a small cul-de-sac of houses and rested along the small Glen Auldyn River, which ran right into the larger Sulby River, which emptied into the sea.

"The victims that have been found were all in the sea" Jessie said. "I think that if there is anything to this glashtin thing, it will be heading back home."

"So what's going on?" Cole asked pulling on a shoulder holster. Ritha looked as if she was going to fall asleep while standing.

"Prowler report" Jack said. He found a notepad near the laptops and scribbled a quick note to the others. "Let's go."

The rain had let up a little bit, but in the black of night it almost didn't matter. Ballure was almost completely inactive in the wee hours of the morning. The only exception that they saw was a 24-hour gas station. It didn't take more than seven minutes for them to pull up to Poyll Dooey. They got out and looked around.

"Partner up" Jack ordered. Cole tossed torches to everyone. "Ritha, Cole, you two good together?"

"Yes" Cole replied.

"Jack, we should take the side path. It looks like it follows the river" Jessie said.

"Take the main walk" Jack told Cole. "Question everything you see."

They split into pairs and headed into the wooded park. During the days, the park was frequented by people with dogs, kids playing, photographers, the occasional artist, and those who used the footbridge to get too and from town. The river was high this time of year. Jack and Jessie ran down the side path, quickly finding the river bank. Their lights were barely enough to see where they are going, but they pushed on.

"Stop" Jack said. They stopped and listened. The river flowed past them with that calm rolling sound. Jessie flashed her light on the water and into the trees. Things were still, aside from the light drizzle. Leaves rustled in the light wind, but it wasn't out of the ordinary. Jack turned his torch off. Jessie followed suit. In the dark, they heard a splash in the water. Jack leaned over and whispered. "I don't think it likes the light."

"How can we stop it if we can't see where it is?" Jessie whispered back. There was another splash. Jessie quietly stepped to the side. Something was moving around. Jack and Jessie stood there quietly with their guns raised, ears straining to listen. The small brush moved and a black thing pushed Jack out of the way. Jessie could barely see it in the night, but she could see its eyes reflecting like silver discs. It swiped a hand at her, managing to knock her down, and took off down the path. "Jack!"

Jessie couldn't even fire. It had disappeared entirely once it moved past her, merging with the shadows. Jack helped her up.

"I didn't see it until it was right in my face!" Jack said. "It's heading for Cole and Ritha. Did you get a good look at it?"

"It was just black with silver eyes" Jessie said. They hurried down the path, lights dancing ahead of them. They ran between trees and through a small open space, then along the bank. From ahead of them, they heard shouting.

"Cole!" Jack yelled. They hurried, but when they found Ritha and Cole, they too had been knocked down.

"There was a thing!" Cole said gesturing towards the river. Jack pulled them up.

"Where did it go?" Jack asked.

"That way" Cole said.

"Towards the river" Ritha replied. Jack ran a hand through his hair.

"I didn't see it until it was right there. It was black as midnight" Cole said.

"Back to the SUV" Jack said. The others looked at him as if he was crazy. "Come on. We can't see it here. We need to form a plan."

They made their way back to the SUV, all a little rattled over the black creature. The ride to the condo was quiet and when they dragged themselves inside, it was just past 3AM.

* * *

A fresh pot of good coffee was not enough to rouse the team in the early morning hours. Jack came in and poured himself a cup, taking a moment to take in the aroma. It smelled like cinnamon and hazelnuts. Jessie was asleep at the kitchen table, her face resting on her arm while her other hand rested on a notebook that she had been drawing in. Jack sipped his black coffee and looked at what she had been working on. It was a grotesque creature with dark features and beady white circular eyes. There were a few other doodles on the page of the creature, little more than fleshed out stick figures.

Jack gently picked up the notebook and set it aside so he could flip through it. She had a few pages of the creature drawn up.

"Jack?" Jessie said with a yawn. She sat up and rubbed at her face.

"I'm just looking at what you were working on" Jack said. Jessie nodded and tried to get herself to wake up fully. "The coffee is ready."

"Good" Jessie muttered. She got up and poured herself a cup of joe. "What do you think?"

"I didn't see the creature for more than a split second" Jack replied. The creature was muscled, slightly hunched with long pointed ears, thick webbed fingers, and the mouth was always open with sharp teeth. "How did you see all of this detail?"

"You take enough art classes and you just learn to pick up details fast" Jessie told him. "I can't get the mouth right."

"It was a good call to go out earlier" Jack said. They sipped their coffee in a moment of silence. He took in the face of the creature, which she had drawn in profile, three-quarters view, and straight on. It was hideous and reminded him of something from a Lovecraft story.

"I don't know why it didn't just appear as something else" Jessie said. It was a thought that had occurred to Jack as well. "Unless it had something to do with the fact that we weren't by ourselves."

"I'm going to have you and Peter go back to Cardiff tomorrow" Jack told. "We can wrap up here, but we need to figure out this energy wave that is coming for us."

"Maybe we should go patrol the water" Jessie suggested. The windows in the other room allotted to the early morning darkness which wasn't appearing to give way to daylight.

"It's barely after 5am" Jack replied. "There's no way the others are going to wake up." From behind one of the closed doors came a beeping that abruptly stopped. "Or not."

"We might have more luck drawing this thing out with fewer people" Jessie said. "It approaches people who are out alone. Earlier, we were teamed up."

Jack moved to lean against the kitchen wall so he could see out the windows of the living room. If they hurried, they could do a little search before the sun rose. He sipped his coffee and mulled the idea of an early morning search around in his mind. A bedroom door opened and Peter emerged looking groggy.

"Morning" Peter said with a yawn. "Coffee ready?"

"Sure is" Jack replied. Peter disappeared into the bathroom. "Where are you thinking we should search, Jess?"

"I was thinking the mouth of the Sulby" Jessie said. "We know that it moves through there." She moved to stand in front of Jack. "You like the idea."

"I'm going to finish this coffee first" Jack told her. They heard the toilet flush, the sink faucet run, and then the bathroom door open. "Peter, get dressed."

"Um...okay" Peter replied.

"Five minutes, be ready" Jack ordered. Jack took one last long gulp from his mug and headed to his room to get ready.

Fifteen minutes later, the three found themselves having circled a block near the small marina at the mouth of the Sulby River to find a medial parking spot at the swimming pool. Traffic had picked up from the middle of the night. The fisherman were readying their boats, some had already headed out to the open water.

"Alright" Jack said as they got out of the vehicle. "Stay within communication. If you see something, say something. Let's check the marina area first."

They each checked their guns, making sure they weren't obvious. Jack ran towards the bridge, heading for the shipyard. Peter followed, but at a slower place. Jessie crossed the road, heading to the shoreline. From here, she could see the silhouette of Jack and Peter in the streetlights. Jack was crossing the bridge and Peter stopped at the bridge to look around. The water was a black mirror, reflecting the black of the night and the orange-yellow of the streetlights. For the most part, it was still and quiet. There was the distant sounds coming from a few boats heading out for the morning, but that was about it.

"There are a few people over at the shipyard" Jack said over the earbuds.

"I'm not seeing anything from the bridge" Peter reported. Jessie walked along the beach. There was a plastic bottle that rolled until it stuck between two rocks. There was the odd sound of something in the water. As her eyes adjusted to the morning darkness, she was sure she could make out the bobbing of something floating.

"There's something in the water" Jessie replied in a whisper. She took out her gun and crept forward. Upon closer inspection, it was just an old buoy. "Ugh, just a buoy."

"Careful" Jack cautioned. Jessie squatted at the water's edge. She couldn't reach the buoy without getting wet. She stood up and sighed. In the distance a boat passed to the open waters and moments later small waves, created by the wake, hit the shore.

"What is that?!" Peter yelled over the ear comms.

"What? Where?" Jack asked. Jessie looked over to the bridge, where Peter was.

"Jess! Look out!" Peter screamed at her. He had started to run her way, barely in sight in the dark. Jessie was pushed and scratched. Her face hit the wet sand before she realized what had happened. Jack and Peter were screaming in her ear. She managed to turn over, seeing a big black figure standing over her. It snarled and made a wet growl at her before swiping at her with a clawed hand. Her gun disappeared into the black water.

"Shit" Jessie hissed to herself. The creature backed up, continuing to growl. Jessie watched it take two steps back before it occurred to her to react. She got to her feet and went after the creature as it moved along the beach.

"We're coming!" Peter shrieked in her ear. High-kneeing it, Jessie sprinted forward and leapt, tackling the creature. They fell half in the water. The creature squealed and clawed its way back to standing.

"What are you?" Jessie asked. The creature growled and hissed. It took a step towards her and her fists flew through the air. The brawl was cut short when Jessie slipped and fell in the water. The creature was on her, like a cat on a mouse. It dragged her deeper into the water. "Let go of me!" Salty water gagged her as she was forced into water deeper than she was tall.

Peter and Jack arrived almost at the same time. They scanned the black water, looking for any sign of Jessie. They had watched her until the darkness had consumed any signs of her or the creature. Now it all looked the same.

"Jess?!" Jack shouted. Peter hurried along the shore.

"Jess!" Peter yelled.

"Peter, don't turn your back to the water" Jack insisted. They both had weapons drawn.

A dark form burst out the water with a gasp for air. It's arm rose up before sinking back in the water.

"I saw it!" Peter shouted. Jack hurried over. The figure rose from the water again, further out. Peter took a shot at it and missed. A second figure rose up, pulling the other one into the water with a protest.

"Hold your fire!" Jack yelled. "That's her out there!"

"Bloody hell, mate" Peter grumbled. They watched the water, looking for any sign of movement. "There!"

Peter rushed into the water.

"I don't see anything" Jack called out. He watched as Peter went out to his waist and began hauling something out of the water. "Jess! Peter!"

"I got her" Peter said as he pulled her onto the shore. She was still for a few seconds, the lurched with a cough. Water spilled out of her mouth in a vomitous manner. She coughed and groaned, then choked on her own tears.

"Jess" Jack said kneeling down and holding her by the shoulders.

"Found it" Jessie said before retching again.

"Your back is all ripped up" Peter said. Jack hoisted Jessie up to her feet.

"Do you see it out there?" Jack asked. Jack and Peter were both gazing out at the dark water.

"No" Peter replied. Jack dug the keys out of his pocket and handed them to Peter. He understood at once and hurried to pull the vehicle around.

"Let's go get you cleaned up" Jack said in Jessie's ear.


	10. Watch The Wave

**NOTE: Sorry about taking so long to update. I've been getting some writing done that might actually pay. Anyway, I love reviews. This chapter is really just getting the story a little further. It will become more exciting in the next chapter!**

* * *

It was a relief as Jessie watched Cardiff come into view. Jack's friend Gwen had picked up Jessie and Peter in Liverpool and was currently their temporary leader, until Jack and the others returned. Peter and Gwen had made small talk on the drive. Jessie was trying to ignore the taste of seawater that still seemed to linger.

"How are you doing back there?" Gwen asked with a glance in the rear view mirror. Jessie was wearing simple cuffed jeans and all black. Her jacket had been tossed after the run in with the glashtin. Jack and Cole had gotten her back stitched up and wrapped in gauze. She was currently sporting an oversized hoodie that Peter insisted she wear.

"Just tired of my back getting mauled" Jessie replied. Her voice was a little rough, but that was due to the seawater. Gwen gave her a small smile.

"We're going to have bigger things to worry about" Gwen said. The mood in the SUV changed and Gwen shifted into her old role as Jack's #2. "The information that Jack sent over to me this morning appears to be moving north to south. It's going to hit the west side of the whole country, from Scotland to Cornwall. There isn't anything we can do about it."

"I've been keeping an eye on it as much as I was able to" Peter said. "I think it's going to hit the northern areas sometime tomorrow, then slowly move south."

"Any idea where it's coming from?" Jessie asked.

"No" Peter replied.

"Can we back track it, you know, follow the path that it's been traveling on to see if there's a cause? Something has to be the cause" Jessie replied.

"The Faroe Islands are north of us" Gwen replied. "Have there been any reports from there?"

Peter was tapping and sliding his fingers around on his phone. He was quiet for a few minutes. "No reports of anything out of the ordinary."

"That means it's localized" Gwen said. They sped into the outskirts of Cardiff and Peter guided Gwen to their warehouse. She parked in the garage and was led down into the heart of Torchwood 5. Peter and Jessie showed Gwen their offices before settling in and getting a pot of coffee going.

"This is the Warehouse" Peter said.

"What do you think?" Jessie asked. Peter had stayed in his office to get his two computers going. Jessie and Gwen were in the kitchen waiting on the coffee to brew.

"It's a bit impersonal" Gwen replied. "When I started in Torchwood we had a place right off the quay. It always felt like a second home."

"I'm familiar with it" Jessie replied. The coffee pot was almost a third full. "It's one of my special assignments."

"What do you mean?" Gwen asked. Jessie took the pot and filled two mugs. Gwen sipped her coffee, impressed that it wasn't swill.

"I'll just have to show you" Jessie said with a smile. Jessie led Gwen down to the sub-basement. "Jack's office is down here in the sub-basement."

"Where is he staying these days?" Gwen asked.

"In the sub-basement" Jessie replied. She showed Gwen the training room and the small gun range. Jack's office was open and Gwen poked her head in. It seemed to have all new things that she had never seen before, but it was definitely done in Jack's own personal style. Jessie pointed to a plain door. "That is where he stays."

"Never a house or anything like that" Gwen mused. They headed up to the main basement to find Peter.

Peter had one computer running some sort of data tracking software that was producing a live feed of readings in graph form. The other he was perched in front of, typing furiously and switching between various programs.

"Peter, whatcha got?" Gwen asked.

"I think I have enough data to give us a general starting location for the energy wave" Peter replied. He pulled up a map of the United Kingdom and pointed to a spot between Scotland and the Faroe Islands. "It's originating from around here. I was able to get some readings from naval ships in the area. They recorded the data, but the entire crew of the ships, two ships, have been reported AWOL."

"What do you mean AWOL? The whole crew of two ships?" Gwen said with a furrowed brow.

"Everyone" Peter replied. "There's a ship transcript of a radio transmission from Captain Ewling where he reports the entire ship going mad with fear. Just pure terror."

"Are you telling me that the wave of energy that is coming towards us and all of the west coast of the country is fear-based?" Gwen asked. Peter looked up at Gwen and Jessie, glancing between them.

"I think so" Peter said. "I just don't know why. I can tell you that a government group called Unit seems to be involved."

"Any word about someone named Martha Jones?" Gwen asked. Peter shook his head and shrugged.

"Did anyone on the ships report any beings?" Jessie asked.

"Not that I've seen" Peter said. "The reports are sparse as of this morning. It appears to have simply hit them full force without warning."

"Is there an extra laptop around here that I can use?" Gwen asked. Peter looked around and pulled out a slim silver laptop from a small bookshelf. Peter moved an extra chair around to the second desk in his office, giving Gwen a space to set up.

"I'll be in my office" Jessie said stepping out of Peter's office. Gwen waited until she heard Jessie's office door open and close before speaking.

"How has she been doing?" Gwen asked. "Jack called me this morning and told me what happened."

"She's just been quiet" Peter said. "I've just been giving her a little space. She has had a lot of crazy shit happen to her in the last two weeks. I'm surprised she hasn't snapped."

"Do you think she'll breakdown with the wave of fear coming at us?" Gwen asked concerned. Peter spun around in his chair with his arms crossed.

"It's a tough call" Peter said. "You two have met before right?"

"Briefly" Gwen said. "I don't really know her well."

"Do you know what happened to her?" Peter asked. Gwen shook her head 'no' and sipped her coffee. Peter scratched his head before continuing. "Before I recently signed on, Jess apparently went missing for 15 minutes or 5 months, depending on who you ask."

"Jack mentioned something about that" Gwen said. "What does that mean, exactly?"

"The others told me that she was on some alien prison planet for 5 months, but here on Earth it was only about 15 minutes of our time" Peter said. "Cole said that she has the scars to prove it." Gwen's eyes were big as she imagined the worst. "She doesn't talk about it, but she can handle a lot."

"Or she's almost at her breaking point" Gwen remarked. She shook her head and turned back to the laptop. She held her tongue about Torchwood and death. Gwen thought of the others from the past - Tosh and Owen and Ianto. She thought of her long lost newer friends - Vera and Esther. Gwen sighed and sipped at her coffee, pushing the thoughts away. She had work to do. "I'm going to check some old UNIT contacts."

There was a knock on the doorframe of the office. Gwen pecked away at the laptop and Peter looked up. "Can we create a map of approximate times this energy wave will hit the coast?"

"Sure" Peter said.

"Jess, what are you working on?" Gwen asked.

"I...uh...well, here's the thing" Jessie began. "Jack never really outlined my job description, so I just...kind of...decided to write up a press release about this energy wave."

"A press release?" Gwen asked. Peter had a look on his face that read in the same manner as a coworker speaking up to a boss or a schoolmate getting mouthy with a teacher.

"We can't be all over the west coast. We need to alert the local authorities" Jessie replied. "I'm writing it up as an effect from military testing over open water, gas being blown in creating a possible mass hysteria."

"Can we do that, Gwen?" Peter asked. Gwen thought it over with a concerned look.

"I'm not finished with it yet" Jessie said. "I will let you look it over once I'm done."

"That could be very useful" Gwen said. "We always stayed in the dark as much as possible. We never created any press releases."

"Perhaps it's time we start" Jessie stated.

* * *

Gwen had the bulletin in her hands after a half-hour and read it aloud. "Torchwood Emergency Bulletin. Summary: Shifting winds will be redirecting Top Secret military testing from the North Atlantic Ocean south through the Irish Sea. This is an issuance for a Severe Emergency Alert for the entire Irish Sea area including: the western coast of Scotland, Wales, the Isle of Man, the western coast of Britain, and the eastern coast of Ireland. Additional details: The gas is odorless and colorless. The gas is known to cause temporary hysteria lasting up to 72 hours with fear and anxiety as the main factors. Expect traffic delays, possible rioting, and an increase of local crime. Reports of incidents can be emailed to EA dot System at Torchwood dot com." There were other bits of information on the bulletin so it appeared to be official, but it was essentially filler information. Gwen looked up at Jessie, surprised. "This looks and sounds like an official bulletin."

"We should probably get it sent out" Peter said. He had a map printed out with areas marked with times, approximations of when the energy wave would hit. "Can we get UNIT to assist?"

"I have some people waiting" Gwen said. She handed the bulletin to Jessie. "Send me a copy of that. Peter, can you get that email address set up?"

"Sure thing" Peter replied.

"Jess, get a copy of that over to Sergeant Andy Davidson, local police" Gwen ordered. Jessie left the office. Minutes later Gwen and Peter both had copies of the bulletin. Down the hall, in a small office that had been turned into a copy room, a fax machine was sending a copy of the bulletin to the local police.

* * *

The trio was making a special run around Cardiff after getting the bulletin out to all local emergency agencies in the suspected regions where the energy wave would be hitting. Gwen wanted to pick up some emergency supplies and Peter needed to pick up some basic tech for the Warehouse. It didn't take long to get what they needed.

"Anywhere else?" Peter asked starting up the van. They had picked up his things after the emergency supplies.

"I need to stop by the quay" Jessie said.

"What do you need from there?" Peter asked. He moved the van and pulled into traffic.

"Do you mean the Hub?" Gwen asked.

"Yeah, she lives there" Peter stated. He pulled into a turn lane and headed for the quay. Gwen turned in her seat to glare at Jessie.

"That place was destroyed" Gwen said. "I know, I was almost blown up along with it."

"It was actually pretty salvageable" Jessie replied. "Most of the damage went straight up and out."

Gwen was speechless when she stood in the middle of the hub. The clean up effort to this point must have been a great feat. There was still rubble, but it appeared to be contained to certain corners. The glass of Jack's old office was still in need of repair.

"This is amazing" Gwen said with a smile. It felt almost like being home.

"The armory survived the explosion" Jessie said. "The walls were thick and reinforced I guess. There wasn't much damage to it." Gwen walked over to the old, still broken workstations. "Jack hasn't really told me what exactly happened in here, other than there was an explosion."

"Yeah, well…" Gwen said looking at the spot, marked with a cracked floor and permanent black stain. "He exploded over there."

"What do you mean?" Peter asked.

"Big explosion" Gwen said more matter-of-factly. "Big boom. Over there."

"No, you said 'he exploded'. Who is 'he'?" Peter asked.

"Jack" Gwen replied. Jessie and Peter looked over at the black mark. It seemed unreal to them. Peter had not seen his recuperating abilities and Jessie had a hard time imagining him surviving some sort of explosion. Gwen's phone rang, breaking the quickening silence, and she wandered off to talk.

"I'll be right back" Jessie told Peter. She hurried up to Jack's office and collected a few things to bring back to the Warehouse with her, including a new jacket. "Hey Peter, what happens if rioting occurs all over the city or this energy wave makes people go insane? Shouldn't we find some kind of way to knock everyone out or something?"

"I don't think that's even possible" Peter replied. Peter's phone rang and he answered. "Hello? Oh hey, Jack." He listened for a moment. "No, we released an emergency bulletin." Peter glanced at Jessie. "With the help of UNIT." Jessie couldn't hear what Jack was saying, but the tone of his voice didn't sound happy. Peter looked at his watch. "You have about 39 hours. You should be able to make it back here tomorrow."

Peter's eyes grew big and he pulled his head away from his phone as Jack yelled. Jessie raised her eyebrows and headed into the armory. Peter walked around the Hub and found a spot where he could pace.

"Gwen had a phone call" Peter told Jack. He looked around, but didn't see Gwen and had no idea where she had wandered off to. "No, idea where she is. We're at the Hub getting a few things from the armory." Gwen entered the main room of the Hub with a backpack and a carry-on size hard case. "Wait, here she is." He hit speakerphone. "You're on speaker, Jack."

"Gwen, what the hell is going on?" Jack asked. "You got UNIT involved?!"

"I have Martha involved" Gwen replied. "We can't be everywhere and we needed reinforcements."

"Keep them away from Torchwood" Jack ordered.

"Jack, we need to go. If this energy wave is going to hit us in the next 38 hours, we need to be ready" Gwen said. She reached out and ended the call. "We should get moving. I want us to have a solid plan put together in 30 hours."

"You mean 38" Peter said.

"30" Gwen replied. "We can use the other 8 hours as a buffer. Where is the American?"

"She went over there" Peter replied pointing towards the armory. He called out. "Jess, let's go!"

"I'm coming" Jessie called back. There was a shuffle from the armory before she came out with a hard case. "I was just grabbing some extra stuff."

"Let's go. We have work to do" Gwen said.

* * *

By 4pm the nation was up in arms over the severe-level threat heading their way. The authorities were assuring the public that if they remained indoors for the next three days, things would be just fine. People were stocking up on food. The media was regurgitating the oncoming threat, spotted with tips on how to pass the next few days. The police were on high alert, UNIT was setting up various checkpoints along the west coast, and the military was on standby for additional assistance.

In the Torchwood Warehouse, Gwen was perched in front of a half dozen monitors and a laptop. She was monitoring the news and various reports from the police. She had sent Rhys and Anwen to London for a week, to keep them safe. Her current concern was the emerging stream of media claiming the threat was false.

Gwen took a break from the monitors when Peter brought her a fresh cup of coffee.

"Thanks" Gwen said. Her eyes were feeling dry. She felt out of practice.

"Where did Jess get off to?" Peter asked.

"What do you mean?" Gwen asked spinning around in her chair to face him.

"I just haven't seen her in about an hour. I thought you sent her to do something" Peter replied.

Gwen spun around and pulled up the phone program on her computer. She punched in Jessie's number and waited for her to pick up. "Jess? Where are you?"

"I'm almost back. I stepped out to get some things" Jessie replied.

"You can't just leave when we have a crisis going on!" Gwen shouted in disbelief. "What are you thinking?"

"Hey, Jess, it's Peter" Peter said chiming in. "Gwen's just a little worried about you."

"I'm getting us taken care of" Jessie said grimly before hanging up.

"What does that mean?" Gwen asked Peter. "Find her Peter. She sounds like she's breaking."

"I can track her phone" Peter replied. He took out his phone and tapped on it a few times before showing Gwen. The dot on the map showed that she was on her way back to the warehouse.

"Wrangle her" Gwen ordered. "We have things to take care of."

* * *

Peter watched Jessie pull into the warehouse. The garage door rolled down and finally came to a halt. She had taken the van.

"I didn't know you were licensed to drive over here" Peter said when she emerged.

"I'm not" Jessie said. She had changed. Instead of her usual retro attire, she was in bootcut jeans, boots, and a black military-style tactical jacket. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail. She went to the back of the van and started pulling out a supply of emergency food.

"You look different" Peter said. "Are you okay?"

"My wardrobe had to be adjusted" Jessie answered. She pulled out two bags of groceries. "We don't know what's going to happen when that wave hits. My jacket that got trashed in Ballure, that cost me about $125. This ugly thing cost me £20. Grab those emergency rations, would you?"

Peter easily grabbed the four 72-hour buckets and followed Jessie downstairs. "Gwen is pissed at you for leaving."

"Super" Jessie said with a sigh. She stopped at the door lock and punched in her code. "We need to think about locking this place down."


End file.
